Sick Daze

Last week my kids came home with flyers for the book fair. Two or three times a year they set up a mobile book store in the library and the kids can buy books on their library day. They were so excited and I was too. It's not that we actually need anymore books in this house. I am a hoarder of kids books. We have literally HUNDREDS of kids books. We have so many kids books that I have to pack up the "seasonal" books and bring them out during certain times a year because we have no more room for them. When I was pregnant I didn't buy baby clothes. I purchased books. If you are looking for a classic kids book, we have it in this house. I like to share books that I enjoyed as a child with my kids but also we read every night and I need variety in my life. I always say yes to books.

So the kids had a pen and were circling the books they wanted to buy. My 8 year old said, "Mom, I'm going to need $50." This kid obviously thinks that money grows on trees. I told her that I would give her $20 (still pretty damn generous in my opinion). My oldest showed me the books she wanted to get and I was excited because there was a book that I would enjoy reading. I read my 3rd graders books....and thoroughly enjoy them. They are quick reads. I love the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. They are a riot!

So on Wednesday morning my daughter woke up and she made sure I put $20 in an envelope and put it in her book bag. She was sooo excited. Her class was going to book fair from 9:30-10:15. We got dressed and I sent them off to school.

I was sitting in my office at 10:16 when my phone rings. It is the school nurse. "Your daughter has a fever of 100.9 and a stomachache. Can you come pick her up?" I went to the school and through the office and there was my sweet girl sitting in a chair, curled up in her sweater. "Hey baby, what's wrong? You weren't sick this morning." She said, "I was not feeling good when I woke up." That's when I realized that she woke up with a fever and felt like crap but she pretended to be well so that she could buy books at the book fair. She literally went to the book fair and walked straight over to the office afterwards. That is some book-loving dedication. I piece of me was proud that I have passed my nerdiness down to my daughter.

"Did you get the books you wanted?" She began to cry. "I got my books but by accident left them in the bathroom and I went back to find them and they are gone." She started to sob. I held her against me and her little head was burning. "Let's go tell the secretary to look out for your books." We walked up to the front to sign out and I saw a bag on a desk. Someone had turned in her books. She was so happy!

We walked out of the school and I said, "Let's stop by the store and get some soup and ginger ale. Then you can lay in bed and I'll put a cool cloth on your head." "Not a cool cloth, I want it to be temperate." She said temperate. She is so funny. "When you are done with The Ghost of Graylock, can I read it?" She nodded.
Then we went home and were lazy and read books and it wasn't such a bad sick day after all.