Wake Me Up When It’s Saturday
I am usually proud of the fact that I’m pretty laid back and don’t let things stress me out too much. But to say I never stress out would be such a lie. This week, for example, has pushed me nearly to the breaking point. This morning all I wanted to do was crawl back into bed with the covers over my head and cry until I fell asleep. But who has time for such behaviors?
Todd has had a crazy insane travel schedule since the beginning of the year. Every week he’s been somewhere other than home. Not the norm for his job which I’m very glad for, but it’s made for a less than great January and February.
I’ve always had admiration and sympathy for single parents, but that admiration and sympathy has grown ten-fold. Both the kids are involved in their school plays, Katie acting in the 8th grade play and Taylor doing stage crew in the high school play. Unfortunately, their practice schedules are not compatible with each other. If it weren’t for my friend, Kris, picking up Katie and Shelby (Kris’ daughter) on the late nights I think I truly would be insane by now.
So not only am I working all day and then running the kids here or there, Sookie is now sick. Poor baby. She has another fever virus or something. So far they’ve run blood work and it all came back good except for a high white blood count, but they have no idea why she’s running the fever. I’m boiling her chicken and trying to get her to drink water and take pills and watch her every time she goes outside to make sure she’s still taking care of her business. Between my worry for her – she hasn’t shown much in the way of improvement since Monday – and the thought of whatever tests they’re going to run if we have to take her back in that we can’t really afford right now, I’m stressed.
Which brings me to last night. Cleaning out the refrigerator, I poured two small containers of old spaghetti noodles down the garbage disposal. All of a sudden gross water started filling up the sink. When I’d try to turn on the disposal it would make a funny noise and water would come back up into the sink. I had all manner of disgusting things sitting out on the counter that I couldn’t get rid of because the sink was backed up. I was afraid to run the dishwasher and again, the cost of a plumber made me want to curl up into the fetal position and rock back and forth while gazing without focusing into the corner.
I finally just left it, ignoring the stuff all over the place. I decided I’d go to bed early and work on it in the morning. But Taylor was working on a project and needed my help with the printer so I didn’t get to bed as early as I had hoped to.
This morning I called the garbage disposal people and the lady tried to walk me through checking the disposal. She told me to plug up the other side of the sink and plunge the drain slowly. I tried. Disgusting, chunky water splashed up all over me. So it was decided I needed a plumber. I called my neighbor, Laura, to see if she could recommend a plumber and her husband, Bill, answered the phone. He ended up coming down and took the pipes apart.
Guess what we found! Scads of chopped up spaghetti packed in the pipes from the disposal to the elbow. He cleaned them out, put everything back together and voila! I have a working sink again!
Since I didn’t have to wait around on a plumber today I was able to make it to my biannual oncology appointment. It was such a nonevent. Blood pressure – good. Blood work – good. Everything else – good. Every time I go I think to myself, “The next time I’ll weigh X-amount of pounds lighter.” It hasn’t come true yet. In fact, I weigh more every single time. That’s bad! But nobody there seems to care. They tell me I look great which probably has more to do with the fact I was seriously the only person in there under 80 today.
In the grand scheme of things I don’t have much to be stressed out about. But all of it adds up and I think I’m doing fine until just one more thing and then I snap. As of this moment I don’t have anywhere I have to go after I get the kids from play practice at 5:30. (One of the only nights they actually had it at the same time). Hopefully Sookie’s medicine will start to kick in and she’ll show marked improvement by tomorrow. Maybe I’ll even get the kitchen cleaned up. And before I know it Saturday will be here and I can sleep in and Todd will be around to help run people to their places and Saturday night we’ll go hang out with the neighbors for wine club and all will be right in my world again.
And before somebody asks – no, I haven’t been praying for patience. I learned not to do that a LOOOONG time ago. :o)
Awww. I’m pouting with you, if it helps.Sometimes nothing will do but a good old fashioned whine session. Well done. And the good news is, it sounds like the kids aren’t acting out (or if they are, you didn’t share that *g*) and the oncology appt went well.Silver lining – that’s me :)Keeping my fingers crossed for ookie’s health.
Sometimes, it just seems that everything is coming at you in one fell swoop, doesn’t it? I know that nothing we say can really help, but I hope you know any one of us out here would take a piece of it off of you if we could. Fingers crossed for Sookie. Oh, yeah, and you, too!! ;D
oh no. sounds like you have been slammed really good. I am sorry that you are playing chauffeur and vet, and plumber, and . . .sheesh. i say head to starbucks and call me in the morning.Hope the sookinator is feeling better soon. I know it is cruddy to know you need to find out what’s wrong, but every new test is expensive and not covered under the HMO . . .we need a better vetcare system in this country. I am off to see if Obama can get that in, too.Hang in there-i try and see if some patience can be sent your way.
Hugs Jenster! Time just drags & drags when you're the one holding down the fort, doesn't it? Hope Sookie feels better. Vets are incredibly expensive. Our new doggie is sick also & we've not taken him to the vet (yet) but it's looking very likely we'll have to. I just don't know how much $$ I can squeeze out of the budget. 🙁
Bah on the plumbing making a mess of things, and the single-parenting gig, and having poor Sookie be so sick…but WOO HOOOO on those awesome Oncology tests and Todd being home Saturday!Hugs and prayers, sistah.
Nothing like a tough week alone with the kids to help you appreciate your partner. My sister is a single Mom. I don’t know how she did/does it. I’ve been on my own with my boys when GG used to travel. It’s not fun. I say, you had a bad week. It’s okay to have a bad week and it’s okay to think it stunk. I’m all about the reward. Sounds like you deserve a trip to Starbucks for a white mocha.
Seems like the pipes in a home can just sense that the dad is out of town! And I’m with you, I really do not know how single moms do it all the time. I wish I could give you a big hug, but in lieu of that, please know that I am praying for you.Hoping that things have calmed down and that Sookie is feeling better!!!
This too shall pass….. And, you have the wine club to look forward to! I agree, Starbucks on the agenda today; Wine club on Saturday. Life will be good again (for awhile) :)Good thoughts going your way.
my yesterday was like that.I truly called my spouse & asked if I could just quit my job. I was ready to pack it in & just go home. :(luckily today is better.may your tomorrow be better too.
I am not going to offer you a hug, cause I don’t like those. I would come and help you dig gross things out of the pipe, but I am not allowed yet with my wrist now assigned to occupational therapy, I would come and sit on the couch and let you tell me all the dumb junk, but I too have a fever(and a new rash)so I shouldn’t be around sookie. But if it weren’t for all of those things, I would SO be there right now. I say, DON’T wake me up when it’s Saturday! Let me sleep!!
oh, I am sorry about your week… wish it was november already!
aw… sorry about your rough patch. Boy can I relate. Hang in there. Wine club is just around the corner!!
I look forward to the weekends for the same reason. Chad’s been working long hours, but at least he comes home every night. I keep trying to look at it as God’s way of providing for us when so many other people are out of work or in fear of losing their jobs. ‘TRY’ being the operative word.I will pray for you for strength, joy, peace and health…but NOT for patience. ;0)
It’s Saturday now so I hope things are going much better! I hope that Sookie starts to feel better. Amber (our cat) took 3 weeks of me making her chicken and us putting it down for her every hour before she started to eat like she used to. We think she’s gained an ounce 😉 We were sick with worry because we thought she was going to starve to death. Thankfully she is back to eating and hopefully she’ll start to gain weight again.Cindys
ppsssttt.. Jen, wake up it’s Saturday!
And now, it’s Tuesday…so hopefully things got better. I hear you on the travelling hubby thing. We arrived home yesterday afternoon, and today, he’s on his way to Shanghai. Makes for a not-so-gentle transition, but…apparently, that’s how we roll. Hope Sookster feels better soon!