The Mrs. Yoy Blog: The Quarantine Coronacles

We are entering a third, cold, soul-stealing day of homeboundness thanks to the ice coating on our hilly street.  I've got a rental car from a previous bad driving decision, so I'm not about to take the gamble with Enterprise's finest. I was born in St. Louis.  Before we moved to the tropics of Florida, my parents took the opportunity to snap many pictures of me in my awesome winter coat, mittens, and arsenal of snow balls. Understandably, I was giddy to get the Yoys out into the snow for fun.  I bundled them up, a process not to take lightly.  In fact, it took many, many minutes. I bundled myself up. I texted my Floridian neighbors, who I knew would be the only other people around that would understand my manic snow feelings, and headed outside with the boys. For ten minutes, it was epic snow fun.   Snow angels, snow balls, snow trains.  I took approximately 500 pictures so Big and Little E could look back and remember that time they...

Three years ago today I wrote my first Mrs. Yoy Blog entry. I cannot emphasize how much writing these stories helps me unwind from some crazy-a** days. As a special treat, I've linked up some of my favorite entries from the past year. Mrs. Yoy: Sh*tfaced Reality Bites Wednesday, Bloody Wednesday Moldy Hummus and a Sh*t Pile The Yoys: Flood Brothers The Art of the Transfer What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas As always, thank you so much for reading and providing feedback.  I love hearing from you all.

This afternoon was Big E's five year checkup. To get Big E into the office, I swore up and down that there would be no shot action today (even though I had no basis for this allegation) and the heavens heard my prayers, as there were no shots.  I just high-fived myself. Of course, things were off the chain because I'm 1) in public and 2) have both Yoysers. Big E started off by romancing Dr. K. DR. K. I MISSED YOU SO MUCH.  IT IS SO GOOD TO SEE YOU!  I'VE BEEN SO HEALTHY SO I HAVEN'T BEEN HERE. Even with his brown-nosing, Dr. K still delivered the news that Big E only grew 1.5 inches this year and she'd prefer to see him grow between 2-2.25 inches/year. I'd like to say I'm surprised, but I'm not.  Genetics will eventually catch up with my kid.  While I am the jolly green giant, Mr. Yoy isn't.  And Big E won't be either.  He came in at 50% for height (41.5 inches) and 45% for weight (38lbs).  I know these stats are not that interesting to...

This entry is written by the now famous Aunt Yoy .   When Big E was born, and Aunt Yoy had not yet been introduced to the joys of motherhood, she couldn't even say the word "poo" out loud without gagging.  So you can see in just a few short years how much she has progressed. Also, I couldn't figure out how to switch her entry into my normal font and I'm too impatient/computer illiterate to figure it out.   Enjoy!   Yes, that is correct. Since becoming a mom of a now 3 year old girl and 18 month old boy, I have seen 50 shades of poo. Shades I never knew existed before I had kids.  Motherhood in general has been a wild ride. I have been up and I have been down. I am fatigued beyond belief.  I have begun drinking wine at night to take the edge off. I have starting using “ish” as a new modifier for time as a correction factor to what ever my kids throw at me to make me late.  (We will be there at 10:30ish).   I have judged m...

This evening we went to our synagogue for shabbat services. I brought the Yoys' pajamas for a quick wardrobe change before we hit the road. Always the optimist, I believe putting them in their bedtime attire will cause them to fall asleep on the drive home. I headed into the women's lounge for the big change.  Little E was up first.  He was pretty easy and cooperative as usual.  Tonight he definitely won best behaved.  Not like I have a daily contest, but if I did... Big E was more reluctant.  He was involved in a serious game of hide and seek/tag.  I finally coerced him to stand still for a moment and was able to strip him down to his birthday suit. He looked at me with a twinkle in his eye and took off. He was Usain Bolt going for the gold.  I was his pathetic mom caught off guard as it was hour thirteen of being awake and was sporting knee-high Stuart Weitzman boots.  Coupled with my first heavy workout in about a month and I might ha...

On Thursday, I was finally able to get someone out here to reinstall the piece of siding that was taken off during the Polar Vortex (see, I used it again) of 2014! After some crooked guy quoted me a price of $150!! to replace one small plank of siding, I asked around and got the name of a local handyman.  I called him and he promised to be out within a few hours.  And he was.  And he was great and Sou-thern . He rang the doorbell right after dinnertime and had his two school-aged sons with him.  Big E was immediately excited to have made two new best friends. Uno, anyone? The handyman went to work on the siding with his older son's help.  We chit-chatted about the elementary school that both our kids went to.  Everything was going swimmingly. Little E snuck upstairs, for reasons soon to be revealed. I heard Little E's feet on the steps and turned around to see him waving his plastic Israeli flag he received at this year's Simchat Torah celebra...

So, today happened.  I should have known it would be a cursed day. Both boys' schools were closed due to the polar vortex (I just had to throw that in there, but I have no idea what it means).  Because in Atlanta we are a bunch of wusses. I had a play date in the morning with Aunt Yoy and the kids.  It was fun and many hours of the day passed by.  They left for nap time and the boys played quietly in their playroom for some time. Little E announced he was tired and put himself down for a two hour nap. Clearly a (missed) sign that the world was about to come to an end. Big E was upstairs, Little E was sleeping, and I was straightening up downstairs when I heard something suspicious. I could hear water rushing through the pipes.  I was putting off our vacation laundry for a third straight day, so it couldn't be the washing machine.  Big E wasn't using the bathroom and I had run the dishwasher earlier in the day. I walked into the kitchen...

At the beginning of 2013, I sat down to reflect on my life and think about what I wanted to do to better myself. I was beyond the pedestrian resolution of losing weight.  I was into some seriously deep sh*t. I thought and I cried and I emoted and I finally came up with the most perfect resolution. In 2013, I was going to make my bed every day. Yes, that's right.  Before 2013, I was lazy.  I would sometimes pull the comforter up over the rumpled sheets and toss a bunch of pillows on top, but that was it.  I subscribed to the why make your bed when you are just going to unmake it in approximately 14 hours. But I committed.  And I achieved.  With the exception of sick days or days where the temperature dipped below acceptable Floridian levels.  Sometimes, I didn't get around to making it until late afternoon (or evening...) but I did it! For the first time ever, I kept my resolution and it felt amazing! In the spirit of setting attainable go...