We all have 'em - those crazy days that just exemplify the challenges of being a parent. Occasionally my best friend Heather will email me one of her days. I LOVE this! It always makes me laugh...because I know her and can totally picture her in these moments. But also because I can totally picture myself in these moments and there is a certain camaraderie between moms that makes it so good to know you're not the only one with days like this!
7:00 Wake up and pray
7:20 Get ready for school/fighting with the kids over what to wear
8:15 Running late/pick up McDonald’s
8:45 Arrive at school
in nick of time, Megan has spilled a water bottle that has biscuit
pieces/lollipop sticky backwash in it all over the floor and I kneel in
it, leaving big spots of funk all over my knees
9:00 Drop off the Bible study supplies I promised to bring, though I can’t attend today. Catch up with Andy briefly and Megan slams her head into the wall. A little deeper and we would have had stitches. Either way there’s a nice abrasion and bump. Hold ice on it.
9:15 Go to client’s school to pick up some records. Counselor decides she wants to talk for a few minutes. So
with my funky knees, sneakers and 2 year old in hand with the gooseegg
on her head, go into a conference room to have a professional
discussion.
10:00 Arrive at store parking lot to run errand but realize my end of month timesheet is due at work by 10 this morning. I don’t have time to go to work or home to send it in and make it to the dentist on time. I run into the church office and beg the receptionist to send it off of the memory stick in my purse(luckily I had that). After
that crisis averted, I decide to let Megan play on the playground for a
few minutes before going to the dentist to get my stitches out. Megan falls and slams her eye on the metal steps right before we need to go and has an absolute SHINER on her eye/cheek. She screams and cries. I try to take her to the car but she’s mad because she wants her last turn on the slide. She’s still in pain so she cries all the way down the slide, but was determined to do it.
10:45 Arrive at the dentist. Stitches removed but it’s not healing as well as it should(I could have told you thatJ). Stay
on motrin but change all the appointments you’ve made over the next two
months because it’s going to take longer to heal than expected. I
stand there trying to concentrate on my family’s insane schedule while
Megan is throwing her bouncy ball prize they gave her into everyone who
walks by.
11:30-12:30 Run errands. While trying on a pair of pants, Megan rams her mouth into the door and starts screaming. Lollipop #3 is shoved in her mouth as we leave the store.
12:30 Pick up Jonathan from school. He’s
been written up today because he deliberately didn’t listen to the
teacher, threw himself head first down the slide, hurt his arm and they
had to bandage it up. Jonathan and Megan compare boo-boos.
12:45 Grab lunch on the go for the kids before doctor’s office.
1:20 Doctor’s appointment. The children fight and scream over a book and won’t listen. My blood pressure was high(go figure) and they want to monitor it long term. The numbness in my hand is carpal tunnel syndrome which is not fun but very treatable and no crazy tests need to be done so far. We leave but the nurse gives them different colored lollipops. This is a crisis. Megan wants the blue one and then throws her red one on the floor. Both children scream almost all the way home until Megan suddenly conks out and falls asleep in a matter of seconds. I blast worship music over the screams hoping that counts for somethingJ.
2:30 Children are
asleep (yeah) and mommy is recovering, getting ready to go to work in a
few hours(my easy job-dealing with moms whose children are in foster
care).
So-the question remains-how much worse would the day have been if I hadn’t gotten up to pray first?!!!