A Pause for Mommy Madness

Does this kind of day sound familiar to anyone?

1.  Wake up early Wednesday to take Layla for walk - listen to latest "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" on my iPod and catch myself laughing out loud.

2.  Wake up kids when I get home.  Greg is on a business trip and my work schedule means I need to take them to before school care.  Emma is relatively cheery, but Michael, Mr Sunshine, wakes up in tears.  Hmmmm.  He is hot, and complains of aching all over, and his throat hurts.  I take his temp and it's 101.

3.  After a slow-witted inner discussion (coffee not yet made) I decide we need to nip this in the bud, I make my excuses with work, miraculously get him a same day doctor's appointment, and suddenly realize that we now have 90 minutes before school starts and no need to go to before care.  Into Mommy's bed we go and catch up on Mythbusters.  Mommy might have taken a tiny little nap.

4.  Leave Michael curled up in my bed and take Emma to school, and decide to stop by the dentist with a wild idea.  (All are within a couple blocks of each other).  See, I had already planned to take part of Thursday off to take Emma to the dentist.  Since I was now taking all of Wednesday off, maybe they could move her appointment up a day to help a sister out.   Miraculously they have a 9:50 appointment.  Michael's appointment is at 1.  The only thing I have to do is call in to a 9:30 meeting.  It is now 9.

5.  Race home, dash through the shower, get Michael organized, and race over to school.  Wait patiently but stew inwardly as they retrieve Emma from Band, the furthest point from the school's front office, poor girl has no idea why she is being summoned.  Dial up the meeting number on my cell as I shoo everyone back into the car.  The meeting is delayed (so. not. shocking.) so I leave my cell number for them to call me when they are ready and head to the dentist.

6.  Get Emma signed in to dentist and miraculously the call from work happens a couple minutes after.  I say what needs to be said and then am dismissed from the rest of the meeting (sweet!).  Dentist delivers the grim news that Emma has to return for some additional work.  Manage to find two appointments for her that minimize time out of school and will occur when Greg is home.  Notice that Greg has an appointment that needs to be moved (this business trip came up suddenly during our vacation last week) and also find a date/time that should work.

7.  Return Emma to school, and find that someone nice in her class has returned her saxophone from Band.  Head home and grab lunch, although Michael isn't interested in eating.

8.  Head out to doctor's appointment.  Talk Michael into evil strep throat test, which I assure him, NO ONE enjoys.  Doc says results will take about an hour, so we wander around a bit, and like the sensitive and caring mother I am, I take him to buy new jeans and sneakers, because his current ones have holes.  A new game for his DS perks him up, which he bought with his own money, which makes Mommy happy (save/spend/share division of allowance plan with the kids appears to be working).

9.  Just as I run out of things to do, the Doc calls to say it is definitely strep.  Back to the pharmacy, which is packed, to get his meds.  We arrive back home just in time to pick up Emma from school.  Michael chills and Emma and I get her most recent school project done.

10.  Mommy gets dinner made, Michael feels good enough to eat something (yay!) and we spend the rest of the night chillaxin' on the couch.  Phew!

You know what?  I didn't find the day that stressful.  Even sick, Michael is Mr Sunshine, and Emma was so happy with how her school project came out we shared a secret girls rule dance.  I am so ready for a change in my work life so that I can enjoy more moments like these with Emma and Michael.  Figuring out how to make that happen....that will be a tad more challenging than this crazy day.