I've got blogitis or "Thank Heavens for Diet Coke"

Doctor, I think there is something wrong with me. I mean outside of all the normal complaints and kookiness. You see, my toddler has been sick for 5 days now with a fever that goes up to 103 degrees, extreme congestion, and overall general crankiness. The only way he sleeps (day or night) is if he is propped up on my arm or on my chest, and then he snores like a little old man, so then, of course, I can't sleep. Early this morning, at 2 a.m., when I had had about 15 minutes of sporadic sleep, and Nathan was finally sleeping peacefully after waking his Daddy up to give him a blessing, I should have finally been sleeping, right? I mean, any normal, fatigued mommy of 3 who hadn't slept in 4 nights would have zonked out immediately and gratefully. But, doctor, this is how I know that something is wrong with me, because, instead of sleeping, I lay awake thinking of what to blog next! Do you have previous reports of blogitis and how is it treated? Is there any hope for me? Should I stop sleeping next to the beautiful, shiny purple laptap my husband is probably regretting giving to me for Mother's Day? Should I stop drinking so much Diet Coke to fuel my days after so many sleepless nights (please say no, I don't think I could live without my stocked Diet Coke fridge in the garage)? Is there any help for my condition? I beg for your help.
Signed, Loopy Mother of Sick almost 2 year old

Let Me Explain. . .

Our little hula girls (and boy)

So, Brandon was concerned that my very first post sounded somewhat, shall we say, like a cryout for help (I swear I was not depressed, just thinking), so I decided I'd backtrack and talk about what brought me to knee surgery and a bit about our family trip to Hawaii.

First, Hawaii. . . . Shall we just call it Heaven on Earth and leave it at that? The one benefit to having your husband travel with his job is frequent flyer miles and free hotel stays. We decided when we opted to have him take this job that we were going to reap the benefits and take wonderful family vacations. Last year, we had a fun-filled week in San Diego, and, since the kids did so well on the plane, we decided to go a little further this time. So, we spent an entire week in Oahu, and it was so worth it! Now we're saving to go to Maui next year. Or maybe London.

Next, the knee surgery:

So, the surgery I was anticipating was only going to be exploratory arthroscopy, so the recuperation would have been just one day. Well, we all know that things are never so simple medicallly speaking when it comes to me, and this surgery was no different. When I got to surgery, the doctor found all sorts of things wrong with my knee, and now I'm looking at 4-6 weeks of physical therapy. I keep reminding myself that it is such a huge blessing to finally have it all fixed the right way, and it will all be worth it! It's just that I had knee surgery last summer, too, which put a damper on the kids' summer. I'm determined to still make this summer a fun one.

Why can't every day be like Hawaii?

So, I've decided to use my convalescence to start a blog. Why not, everyone else is doing it? But, in being stuck at home by myself, recuperating from what I hope to be the last surgery I ever have, I'm feeling a little blue. I'd much rather be at the movies with Brandon and the kids, even if I would be chasing Nathan around the theater, dealing with overturned popcorn, and possibly a daughter or two hiding behind me during the scary parts. Anytime I am recuperating from a surgery, I am reminded of how I take my everyday health for granted. I love being a mom and having fun with my family. And, this brings me back to Hawaii--the whole reason families should have vacations. Moms need to get away from the housework and outside responsibilities and be the fun mom that they really want to be. Vacations are all about just having fun with the people you love more than anyone else on earth. And, as I sit here at home, missing my family, doing my mundane leg exercises and spending far too much time online, my heart is where they are--Brandon, Karlie, Abby, and Nathan--lets get back to Hawaii.