Crazy In The Cold

Hello friends out there in cyberland! I've been thinking about posting all week long. I even had some great topics in mind. Unfortunately, they left my brain shortly after they arrived. In my defense, it's been quite a rough week.

Last Saturday night my oldest daughter was up almost every hour during the night vomiting. Yeah, a stomache virus. We quarantined her to her room all day Sunday. Daddy even put a small TV with the cable box in there so she could watch her favorite shows. She took a few naps and didn't eat much of anything all day. The next morning she thought she was going to school and I told her she couldn't because she hadn't eaten anything. My daughter loves school. So she was upset with me. Tuesday was a teacher in-service day, so I had another day with the two super hyper kids together. Em went back to school Wednesday and then Wednesday evening she sprained her ankle. I thought it would've happened when her and her sister were wrestling on the floor, but no. She got up from the sofa and her leg had lost feeling (the pins & needles feeling) and she didn't stand up right and twisted her ankle. She was in pain and it swelled up pretty good. So, next day, home from school and a trip to the pediatrician to make sure it wasn't broken. Thank goodness it isn't broken. No gym class for two weeks, she needs to either ice it or put a heating pad on it and elevate it as much as possible. Let's see.....she was invited to a roller skating birthday party on February 13th. Will she be able to go? And if not, I'm sure I will be the one to blame because she can't go.

So yes, it has been quite the fun ride here at our house this week. Last night was the icing on the cake. Em was back to her old self with her sister and they were just getting out of control. Daddy has had a really rough week working out in the freezing, blustery weather installing a networking system (he's an electrician). His patience was running thin and he burst. 8pm and the girls were crying and he was screaming at them and I kind of laughed at him because four hours earlier he was criticizing me for yelling at them. Hmmmmm. And here he was, right before bedtime getting everyone upset.

I chalk all this tension up to being pent up in the house too much. Winter is rough on kids. They can't go out in the backyard and run around (too cold and too muddy). Em is in school all day and when she comes home Kaye and her just get so wild. A few weeks ago I borrowed a kids fitness video from the library. Kaye did it for a bit, but Em was bored after a few minutes. I borrowed a different one this week, but now Em won't be able to do it. I need suggestions on what to do to get their energy out after Em comes home from school. If I turn music on they get too hyper. I don't want any broken bones around here. The sprain was enough to scare me, even though it didnt happen during one of their fits of craziness.
Please comment with any suggestions you may have for some tightly wound girls who just need to get their energy out after school. Thanks!