boredom busters

We are sick. The Bedford house is a hot mess. It's all very sad, made worse by the fact that I am a crabby sick person. Blake's perfectly cheerful and not even a little bit LESS talkative despite his head cold, which is really awesome. I haven't snapped his head off once, nor nearly sold him in the grocery store.

Now, I have been CLOSE. But I haven't done it, and I think that deserves a reward. In honor of The Office, I will be making myself a medal out of a yogurt lid. Good enough reward for me!

We're just back from a great trip to see the in-laws (in-loves? I THINK SO!) in Spokane, and I've a couple posts percolating in the back of my mind, but the mucus percolating in the front has definitely got my attention. I'm focused on it, raw noses, sore throats, and hacking coughs, as well as desperate attempts to live better through chemistry (side note: Robitussin syrup STILL tastes awful - wish I'd gotten a pill form of these chemicals).

To keep the boredom at bay (mostly for B, but partly for me, because my focus isn't what it could be, and little breaks are nice), I tend towards the following:

• LEGO coloring pages. B thanked me several times, and actually said "I really appreciate that you did this!" Open and Print has never felt so good.
• This American Life. I plug in my headphones and listen to the cache of downloaded podcasts I've got saved. Sometimes, I even learn stuff! But not always.
• Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me! Another NPR offering, but this is a news quiz that sometimes educates, but mostly makes me laugh. Again, podcasts downloaded to iTunes.
• Table forts!
• Buggy Jell-O - we got some gummy tarantulas from Aunt Ernie that I've hidden from B. His head is going to EXPLODE when he sees these! I'm excited.
• Learn From My Fail, for those times I want to laugh or gasp at others.
• Cheese and Burger Society, for ideas on dinner, read aloud by Puddy/Kronk!
• Super Mario Brothers for the Wii. I haven't hit it up today, but Rob and I beat almost all of the first world last night, and discovering that this video-game neophyte has hand-eye coordination was illuminating. Also, Rob's so good that all I have to do when I get freaked is "bubble," which keeps me safe while he's beating monsters (you know, those turtles are SCARY).
• PBS Kids. Simple games that keep Blake entertained for hours. There's a tagline for a show he likes that says "Don't believe me? Just visit PBSkidsGO.org and see for yourself!" He always turns to me and says, "Mom, I don't believe Hector. We'll have to go to the computer." Also, I usually don't leave him on there for hours, per se... well, not OFTEN.
  

Totally unrelated, I got called for jury duty again. I AM SO LUCKY! Rob's trying to sell a wide enough range of electronic items for a friend that someone from Craigslist actually asked if he'd stolen it all. We are loving the sun and just wish we had a yard to play in. Instead, I borrowed a trick from Reese and Naomi and filled a few cheap water bottles with food coloring and water. Blake went nuts painting the snow. We stuck with red, green, and blue, because you never know if your yellow water is art or just a passing donor!