Stuff - birthday stuff, house stuff, stuffy noses

It's been a busy week. Yesterday was my husband's birthday. I gave him a new kitchen floor, which I started on Monday (and yes, the tile for the bathroom counters are still sitting in the boxes in the back of my van - everafter known as "the staging area"). He wants an old, antique look to the kitchen. A place where he can display all of his old advertisements and coke collectibles, so when I found the black and white tile at such a price, it was HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOUG! I spent two back-breaking days sliding around on my butt and hunched over in such a way that almost ensured I'd never stand straight again. But it is done, it looks lovely even though black and white is not my favorite choice for flooring, and he's happy. Of course, it makes the rest of the kitchen world look real bad, but it's a start.
This past weekend brought illness in the form of sore throats and fevers. First, to Emily and on Sunday Leirin followed the path of contagion to her very own sick. Emily was able to go back to school yesterday and today is Leirin's first day back. This morning, after a really good day yesterday, Em woke up with a really weird sounding cough. Sounds like she has swallowed a goose and I'm not sure either of us are ready for another round with something different. I hope it passes. And fast.
So far it seems the only fast thing about it is how it spreads. People at work are being taken down left and right, kids are out of school (or in school doing their part to propagate the spread while ensuring they won't be challenged by the district officials for truancy) while the rest of us sit back and wait to be hit with it.
When my kids are sick I'd love to just keep them home. Give them a week or so to let things go completely by and give them time to regain their strength but I find myself thinking "we're getting mighty close to pushing the limit of days out...you have to be better by tomorrow." It's such a hard thing for me to do knowing that still they are running on near depleted energy supplies after being sick. They are not better.
I looked at the girls this morning, definitely better than they have been, but their eyes are so tired and they sigh heavily from the effort of just getting dressed, and I just want to send them back to bed so they can have the rest their eyes plead for. But instead I write a note asking to be called if they just can't make it through the day, knowing that probably won't happen, and I send them on their way. I hate compliance.