Dear Readers
by Nicole Freire

Remember last week when I told you that I had shingles? In my ear? And that it hurt?

OH. MY. GOD.

I had no idea.

I feel like fire ants have invaded my ear.

By the way, I can't tell you how much better I felt, hearing about YOUR shingles. You guys got them everywhere! My favorite was the poor woman who got them in her NOSE.

See, pre-shingles, I would have snickered at both of us. The ear? The nose? Are you kidding me?

But now I want to weep in sympathy. Her nose! The agony!

And then someone (more than a few people, actually) told me that shingles can be caused by stress.

I read that and then fell on the floor, choking and laughing.

Stress! Really? Since last December I have been the earth's epicenter of stress. If you had a great week or a great month, thank me. I have been eating your stress for you.

Excuse me while I cry just a little bit, and pull on my ear.

My father, upon reading of my love for flannel, went a bit crazy and bought me five pairs of flannel pajamas. Which is AWESOME. I have a leopard pair, a panther feet pattern in bright red, a black and pink pair with lots of moose on them, a pink Asian-inspired pair, and another pink pair, this time in a modern floral flannel.

Awesome, because every day or two I put on another pair. And in the morning I get up, wake up the kids, make lunches and stumble into the car for school drop off.

Which means that this morning I got out of the car to help the youngest with her backpack, and showed the rest of the school my killer flannel pajamas pants. This particular pair was black flannel with bright pink moose on them - all over them. With a matching bright pink top, and a moose right in the middle of the top, in case you forgot the moose theme.

So, HAH! Those moms who drop their kids off at school in cute yoga pants must have been so jealous.

My schedule has been like this. Wake up. Take kids to school. Go back to bed. Sleep until 3. Welcome home oldest daughter. Go back to sleep. Get up at 5 or 6, greet husband. Go back to sleep.

Sometimes I could stay awake after my husband came home and I would lie on the couch watching CSI. But usually it was back to sleep.

I love to sleep. I LOVE IT. And for those who thought that someday I might sleep too much? Or spend too much time in bed?

SUCK ON IT.

SHINGLES IN MY EAR.

I'll be back in finer form next week when I tell you about how I woke up on Friday morning and realized that it was my daughter's 9th birthday. Whoo! Get moving on that Mom!

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Nicole Freire is a freelance writer who lives in Santa Barbara.