Today was another one of those days.  My Littlest woke up in the middle of the night, throwing up and burning up.  He was clearly sick, but when the time came for me to call out from work so I could stay home with my three-year-old, I choked.

Can’t Dad stay home this time? [No, his job doesn't really allow for it.]

What will everyone think?  It feels like I’m cutting class for some reason.

After hesitating for way too long, I always end up over-apologizing and then offering to work from home.

My sick baby crashed out on towels – just in case.

Here are the reasons why I’m opening up about what I hope is an irrational feeling.  First of all, I want my bosses to find this.  But more importantly, I want anyone who questions why parents frequently call out sick — roughly every other month with two kids – to understand that this isn’t a luxury.

More often than not, we’d rather be at work than mopping up another round of barf.  In fact, I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve had to continue driving with a child covered in his own vomit!  [It smells fabulous.]

Trust me, we don’t want to be skipping work under these circumstances.

News tip:  Sick babies get a boost from live music

The innovative father created polka-dotted PJs that, when scanned with a smartphone’s QR reader, can deliver dozens of stories out loud.  Each polka-dot contains a different story.  The concept is genius.

As a mother of two, I thought this was a fun idea that others would find interesting, so I posted it on Hawaii News Now’s Facebook page.  That’s when I realized that I must be a bad mom.  Or at least way less old school?

The parents on that post were outraged!

Pathetic.  Read to your child.

If he’s too busy for his kids, he shouldn’t be a father.

Really?!  Seems a bit harsh.  I actually give the guy credit for following through on his idea.  I know as a mom, I’m constantly coming up with inventions that I’ll never actually go through the steps of creating.

[Image: Digital Trends]

Perhaps this inventive dad and his family feel exactly the same, and his product is just that — a product of their time together reading books.

It only took a few minutes to make (and a few minutes to eat) so here’s the recipe, courtesy of emilybites.com:

Click here to follow me on Pinterest!

That’s the word out of a new study that we came across in the newsroom recently.  Well, it’s actually more of a study in progress, but all signs are pointing toward beneficial booger snacking.  One of our sister stations on the mainland reports that a biochemistry professor in Canada is investing a lot of his time researching whether or not our snot is good for us.

His theory is gross, but somewhat plausible:  mucus tastes sweet (he must have sampled it) because it’s our body’s way of encouraging us to ingest it.  Doctor Scott Napper says:

[Kids] picking their nose and eating it may actually be training their immune system to the different types of pathogens and agents that may be present within the air.

Sorry, not sold.  I’m sticking with gummy vitamins for my kids!

News tip:  Magnesium may be as important to kids’ bone health as calclium

That’s how a police officer who delivered a baby on the side of the road this week described how it all went down.

An officer for the Honolulu Police Department helped deliver that baby on the side of the freeway during rush hour traffic.  The story was fun enough as is, but then we learned that this was the second time the same officer had delivered a rush hour road baby in just a few months!

Officer Stephen Keogh told us that he and his partners were responding to a separate incident when a panicked papa suddenly pulled up behind them in his pickup truck.  Before long, the three officers, with Officer Keogh playing catcher, were bringing a beautiful little girl into the world.

Honolulu Police Officer Stephen Keogh

Our news photographer asked the officer if he’s ever considered switching professions, and Officer Keogh, who has no children of his own, was quick to say no.  It’s probably for the better … what would future mamas stuck in traffic do without him?

Here’s a photo of the grateful mom and little girl that Officer Keogh helped deliver:

Mom and baby Zahnyssa [courtesy: HNN]

On the flip side, check out this news tip:  Driver refuses to stop for police as wife gives birth in car

I’ll go on the record with this one:  If I’m in labor on the road, all traffic rules are out the window!