11.20.2006

A Day in the Life........


As my kids have gotten older and our life has gotten busier, my mom often comments that she never knows what we are doing, how the kids are, etc. because we don't chat as much as we used to when I was housebound and changing diapers all day! So, mom, as they say, "this post's for you."

I think this is supposed to be Thanksgiving vacation. I'll let you be the judge. I'm "vacating" something, but I'm pretty sure it's only my sanity!

Woke up this morning promptly at 6:30 (a half hour later than usual), hit the shower, ate a quick breakfast, and made lunches for Jeff and Payton, who accompanied me to work today because of an appointment nearby. An hour later, Jeff, Payton, and I head for the kids' school so Jeff can pick up his car, which we inadvertently left there on Friday afternoon following a meeting (long story, don't ask!). Dropped Jeff off at the school and headed to work with Payton. Spent three hours paying bills, answering phones, responding to e-mail, and fielding inquiries and noting observations made by Payton, who definitely will not be accompanying me to work in the future.

Left work at 11:20 (ten minutes later than we should have) to head to Payton's speech therapy appointment. Chatted with the therapist for about 20 minutes. She was great, and thankfully, Payton's lisp isn't extreme so it shouldn't take too many sessions for him to get over it and be done with speech therapy. Left the speech therapist's office and headed home. Made a pit stop for a certain nine-year old who didn't have to go the bathroom all morning but was "going to explode" if we drove another mile.

Stopped at the post office on the way home to mail two packages for work, only to find out that I had forgotten the packing tape. Stopped at the library to find a 125-page historical fiction book for Payton's next book report. Asked a very unhelpful children's librarian for help in finding such a book, then nearly lost MY mind getting Payton to make up HIS mind and just choose a book already!

Meanwhile, Brooke called and told me she didn't feel good and could Erin (the neighbor she was babysitting for the day) please stay at our house for the afternoon while Brooke "rested" and, since she'd be resting, would I please pick her up a certain movie to watch? A short time later, Sydney called to find out when I would be home and to inform me that Sawyer had turned into the devil incarnate while I was gone.

Arrived home. Refereed a few arguments, dealt with Brooke, who was feeling terrible but didn't think to take any medicine, sorted and threw in a load of laundry, emptied and reloaded the dishwasher, assured Sydney, who by now had assumed all babysitting duties, that she WOULD get paid since she was doing all the work. Grabbed the packing tape, headed back to the post office to mail the aforementioned packages. Made a stop at the library again to return some books I forgot on my first trip.

Returned home. Found out that the neighbor boy's mom had a "stone in her kidney" and was having surgery today. Could he play at our house for a while? Having done the kidney stone thing myself, what could I say? The more the merrier, why not? (This momentary lapse in judgment made for two hours of breaking up fights and micromanaging the Gamecube.) Made Sawyer and said neighbor boy a bag of popcorn for a snack and baked two loaves of pumpkin bread, which I wanted to give as gifts before the holiday. Changed the laundry around again, hung up some wet laundry, folded the dry laundry. On my way up to fold the laundry, wiped up a puddle of lemonade that somehow mysteriously spilled itself on the kitchen floor.

As the scent of baking pumpkin bread filled our humble abode, threw together some dinner and sent Brooke (who was feeling better) to walk Erin home. Jeff had a meeting at 4:45, and I had to leave at 5:30 for an eye doctor appointment with Brooke, so we ate in shifts tonight. Changed the laundry around again and headed out at 5:30 for Brooke's appointment while Jeff headed the opposite direction with Payton and a few other kids from church for Christmas play rehearsal. These "other kids" included two totally different neighborhood children who I had committed Brooke to babysit for tonight, forgetting that she had an eye doctor appointment. Feeling badly about that, I volunteered Jeff to haul them to the christmas practice and keep an eye on them for an hour. Needless to say, he was "thrilled".

Enjoyed a few minutes of peace while Brooke got her eyes checked then bit my lip and refrained from loud, exasperated sighing while she took just short of an hour to finally choose a new pair of glasses. Ran a few errands in Frederick, (bought a few christmas gifts and a pair of shoes) then swung back to Christmas play rehearsal to pick up the kids. Dropped off kids at their respective homes and finally pulled the van into the garage for the last time today. Changed the laundry again, wrapped the pumpkin bread in a festive "thanksgivingish" manner and jotted a quick note to its recipients. Sat down to check e-mail and say hello to my husband and find out how his meeting went. Paid the bills, comforted Sydney (who experienced chloraseptic for the first time tonight and was NOT impressed) then changed the laundry one last time and headed to bed.

And, just in case you're wondering, of course I completed all of these tasks with a christ-like smile and a song in my heart, while wearing a crisply starched skirt and a strand of graduated pearls. Feel free to call me "June".

June says: "Thank heaven for diet Mountain Dew!"

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think you should add the Proverbs 31 woman to your name too - Hang in there lady - vacation's coming??!?!?!?!? :)

Anonymous said...

I am tired just from reading that!

Anonymous said...

I DO appreciate the detailed description of your day. If I were just a little closer I would have come and helped you; isn't that why we moved back to PA? I'm glad to hear you were appropriately dressed for the occasion.