Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Good Night Nurse, Holy Moly, and Complete Validation!
Day one - started lovely with coffee and creamer, devotions on Sarah's patio, a soft cool breeze that gave the wind chimes energy to play a morning song. A bit foggy, overcast - oh what a day - fall in Texas feels like spring, which is perfect to me since soon as fall is over I'd just as soon go back to spring and skip the whole winter solstice thing.
Then the kids started waking up - by 8:00 it was rockin' and rollin' around here. Everyone was wet, hungry - it felt a bit like a scene out of What About Bob? - "I Need, I Need!" Breakfast out of the way, everyone was dressed. Out to door to Sarah's doctor's appointment, it felt a bit dejavu - driving a minivan with the backseats full, and the covered floormats that come with little people. At the doctor's office, Sarah hobbled in on crutches, while we four sat in the car and watched a Veggie Tale. After the first 30 minutes, I started searching the car and found leftover goldfish in Caiden's lunch box - thank you God. And don't tell Sarah, but when we ran out of those, I checked the car floor and rescued a few stranded cheerios to feed the baby.
Then - an oasis in the storm. A trip to Sonic. Hysterical to watch the girl in the building, trying to take the order, while Sarah would get out one part, then have to stop to straighten out a kid, then back to the order, oh a kid is messing up again, let's change the order, etc. etc. Sonic Girl hung with us, and miraculously got the order right, at least as well as we remembered it. By that time, who cared what we ordered, it came with a large Diet Coke, and Sarah's arm rests hold an order of fries perfectly - how's that for a well-engineered moma-van?!
Home, one down for a nap, two for room time, the cleaning begins. Bathrooms, vacuum, laundry, glass, set out something for dinner, make beds. A little of this and that, trying to do the stuff that will have the most impact to make this feel like a haven for a weary little family. The stuff that's hard to do on crutches, or after a long day at work.
Then some are up, some go down, some are hungry, some won't eat. Some are wet, some are worse! Listening to Sarah and Caiden do school in the background (the French was impressive!), playtime in the yard, under and on the trampoline while Sarah and I sat at the table for awhile, her knitting and me jumping up and down like springs had magically been attached to my rear, push this one on a scooter, pick that one up and brush off the ants, kiss boo-boos, settle squabbles, give the hairy eyeball look now and then, find the phone, answer the phone, give Sarah the phone.
Then time to make dinner - only the kids won't eat what we're eating, so Sarah tries to help find something for the kids and within 30 minutes her foot is swollen and creepy purple, so she settles back down and I cook the adult meal. And do dishes, and wipe up crumbs, and pour milk, and get kids out of high chairs, and into pjs. Good night nurse!
I like to think I work hard at home. What I realize being here for one day - I do work hard, but not non-stop. There are no little people constantly needing attention, the type of attention that keeps them from playing with knives, or drowning in the bathtub or escaping out the front door and getting run over, or eating something poisonous under the sink. I take breaks, sort of waltz through my day, work awhile, have a cup of tea, work awhile, open the mail, work awhile, read emails. Seriously, how on earth did I ever do this? I am worn out - a good worn out, the kind that feels good at the end of the day, that what you did mattered. Still, worn out.
Sarah and Chris seemed less frazzled today, hopefully they were encouraged and felt supported, because that's what family is for. And we may live 1200 miles apart, but sometimes that is just not an excuse. Sometimes family just needs to be there. Times like this.
Okay, it's bedtime - have to get a good night's sleep - all five of us have to be out the door by 8:45 - mercy! This is not for sissies, or even the young at heart, rather the young in years. Lord, what on earth are those crazy women in Hollywood thinking, having babies in their 50's? - They are plumb crazy. You young moms out there, doing this day in and day out - hats off to you! Seriously, you should feel very validated and encouraged. Validated that this is ridiculously hard, and encouraged that someday, 20 years down the road you will have forgotten these non-stop days. In the meantime, be proud of what you do - it's doggone impressive in my book!
Then the kids started waking up - by 8:00 it was rockin' and rollin' around here. Everyone was wet, hungry - it felt a bit like a scene out of What About Bob? - "I Need, I Need!" Breakfast out of the way, everyone was dressed. Out to door to Sarah's doctor's appointment, it felt a bit dejavu - driving a minivan with the backseats full, and the covered floormats that come with little people. At the doctor's office, Sarah hobbled in on crutches, while we four sat in the car and watched a Veggie Tale. After the first 30 minutes, I started searching the car and found leftover goldfish in Caiden's lunch box - thank you God. And don't tell Sarah, but when we ran out of those, I checked the car floor and rescued a few stranded cheerios to feed the baby.
Then - an oasis in the storm. A trip to Sonic. Hysterical to watch the girl in the building, trying to take the order, while Sarah would get out one part, then have to stop to straighten out a kid, then back to the order, oh a kid is messing up again, let's change the order, etc. etc. Sonic Girl hung with us, and miraculously got the order right, at least as well as we remembered it. By that time, who cared what we ordered, it came with a large Diet Coke, and Sarah's arm rests hold an order of fries perfectly - how's that for a well-engineered moma-van?!
Home, one down for a nap, two for room time, the cleaning begins. Bathrooms, vacuum, laundry, glass, set out something for dinner, make beds. A little of this and that, trying to do the stuff that will have the most impact to make this feel like a haven for a weary little family. The stuff that's hard to do on crutches, or after a long day at work.
Then some are up, some go down, some are hungry, some won't eat. Some are wet, some are worse! Listening to Sarah and Caiden do school in the background (the French was impressive!), playtime in the yard, under and on the trampoline while Sarah and I sat at the table for awhile, her knitting and me jumping up and down like springs had magically been attached to my rear, push this one on a scooter, pick that one up and brush off the ants, kiss boo-boos, settle squabbles, give the hairy eyeball look now and then, find the phone, answer the phone, give Sarah the phone.
Then time to make dinner - only the kids won't eat what we're eating, so Sarah tries to help find something for the kids and within 30 minutes her foot is swollen and creepy purple, so she settles back down and I cook the adult meal. And do dishes, and wipe up crumbs, and pour milk, and get kids out of high chairs, and into pjs. Good night nurse!
I like to think I work hard at home. What I realize being here for one day - I do work hard, but not non-stop. There are no little people constantly needing attention, the type of attention that keeps them from playing with knives, or drowning in the bathtub or escaping out the front door and getting run over, or eating something poisonous under the sink. I take breaks, sort of waltz through my day, work awhile, have a cup of tea, work awhile, open the mail, work awhile, read emails. Seriously, how on earth did I ever do this? I am worn out - a good worn out, the kind that feels good at the end of the day, that what you did mattered. Still, worn out.
Sarah and Chris seemed less frazzled today, hopefully they were encouraged and felt supported, because that's what family is for. And we may live 1200 miles apart, but sometimes that is just not an excuse. Sometimes family just needs to be there. Times like this.
Okay, it's bedtime - have to get a good night's sleep - all five of us have to be out the door by 8:45 - mercy! This is not for sissies, or even the young at heart, rather the young in years. Lord, what on earth are those crazy women in Hollywood thinking, having babies in their 50's? - They are plumb crazy. You young moms out there, doing this day in and day out - hats off to you! Seriously, you should feel very validated and encouraged. Validated that this is ridiculously hard, and encouraged that someday, 20 years down the road you will have forgotten these non-stop days. In the meantime, be proud of what you do - it's doggone impressive in my book!
Labels: Girl Talk
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