I'm not at work today. Don't worry it's alright, after all it's hamburger helper day. (insert gag) Middle G is on the mend. She has been fever free for 24 hours but she is still coughing like a seasoned smoker. It keeps her (and I) up at night so I thought she could use another day of rest.

Her response "I'm sooooooo bored."

Can you imagine if our children ever really were bored. They're brains would melt.

Anyway, I thought I would share this pathetic photo with you. At the pediatrician's there are giant signs that if your child has a cough and/or a fever they must wear a mask, a.k.a. swine flu. There are no books, not toys and easy to wipe down chairs in the waiting room.

Middle G had to wear the mask.

• family: Both immediate and extended. There really is no one quite like you (and I mean that in the most friendliest of ways). Family sees you at your happiest, they see you at your saddest. They offer a hand, they tell you when you've crossed a line. It doesn't get much better than that.
• Friends: I still think that a gaggle of close women is better than any therapist. People you look forward to seeing. People you can't wait to talk to, whether the news is good or bad. People who know when you need to get drunk, or shop, or just hang.
• bathtubs filled with bubbles: This one is self-explanatory. For me, a long hot steamy bubble bath is just about as good a sex.
• My craft room: It's just four walls, covered in polka-dots with just about every craft gadget you can think of. It's a little piece of heaven on earth.
• Peanut butter cups: If I don't stop eating the ones the kids got from trick-or-treating, my ass will soon be showing up on the local radar. There's a disturbance in the northern part of the county....it appears to be Wendy's ass. Onlookers are advised to seek cover. Film at 11 p.m.
• health: Last but, certainly not least, is our health. This time of year I think it is important to remind ourselves that we are one phone call away from falling to our knees. When the kids get on your nerves, or your mother calls at bedtime, or your husband forgets to pick up the milk, try to put things into perspective. Someone is celebrating Thanksgiving without their kid/mother/husband. Someone is grieving a loss, some are big, some are small.

Let's all be thankful more than one day in 2010.