I didn't see you there!!
Oh. About yesterday?
I was feeling a little overwhelmed, weepy, desperate. I was up until midnight talking to Charlie about our lives. What are we doing?! We need to move!! We need to grow organic food!! We need to live off the land!! We need to get away from all the craziness in this neighborhood ... in this world!!
Our babies!! Our BABIES!! They'll be going to college before we know it and we're MISSING it all!!
Poor Charlie could hardly keep his eyes open listening to me rant. Finally at 11:45, I begrudgingly agreed that we weren't going to figure out our future within the next 15 minutes.
At midnight, we went to sleep.
At 1:07 I was up with William.
At 2:18 I was up, myself.
At 3:11 I was up with Carolyn who had thrown up all over her bed.
Between 3:12 and 5:58, I laid on the couch with my daughter and a bucket, getting up several times to get her a Kleenex, a glass of water, more Tylenol.
At 5:59 I was up with Henry.
Between 6:00 and 7:59, I remained on the couch with Henry and Carolyn, and then noticed that OH MY GOSH, I have 31 minutes to get our healthy children up, dressed, fed and out the door to school. But first, I realized that the reason I was feeling so weepy and desperate yesterday is because the glorious hiatus I bragged about enjoying for the past two years came to a screeching halt today.
Oh yeah. Now it ALL makes sense.
The mounting psychosis and the overwhelming need for chocolate?
I'm not sure why I didn't recognize it sooner.
I kept Carolyn home while William and Elizabeth were sent to school.
While at school, Elizabeth participated in her EIGHTH birthday party. Which means, she brought home her EIGHTH birthday party bag. As of yet, only one child in William's class has had a party this year and none of the children in Carolyn's class have. In the three weeks of school, Elizabeth has come home with goody bags several times a week - while her siblings are empty handed.
Yesterday, she came home with a flat of Krispy Kreme donuts and superballs that looked like eyes. I'm not sure if nearly half her class has September birthdays, or what. But I'm prepared to tell her teacher that I don't want her receiving any more "goody" bags.
My decision to put a kibosh on the festivities is not just because I'm a grinch. Nor, because it causes too much controversy when the other children don't have something to bring home. Instead, it has to do with the the volume of SUGAR that my three-year-old has picked up in three weeks of school. Our kids have had sweets in their lifetime, but I don't want them eating it every day. Nor do I want them bringing home small plastic toys that are the perfect size to get lodged in Henry's throat.
While I worked this afternoon, Charlie called and canceled with the 18-year old sitter who was suppose to report for duty, tomorrow. Instead, we have a team of cleaning women who are due to arrive at our house at 8:30 in the morning.
While they clean, I will feast on chocolate from the blasted goody bags that I have confiscated from my three-year-old daughter.
I hope you have a much better night tonight!
ReplyDeleteLet me tell you about something we have in our house... the candy box. It's a large tupperware container kept up high and out of sight. All kid candy from school treats, goody bags, Halloween, Easter, etc goes into the candy box, where it becomes group property and available to be chosen when it's dessert night. (Special things like Halloween candy, the kids get to keep theirs separate for several days, but after that it all gets dumped into the candy box). Every so often I'll throw out all the icky candy no one wants. And, yeah, the grownups will occasionally eat stuff out of there if we've run out of our more high-quality stash :-).
Anyway.... best wishes, get some sleep! -Anita R.
Wow- now you can start planning your next baby ;)
ReplyDeleteYay for the cleaner Jen! You can enjoy being with your children more if you know the house is clean (at least I know I do!)
And remember (this is from one perfectionist to another)- they won't clean as well as you do. But its a matter of "completion, not perfection"
Rebecca D
YOU GO GIRL! I'm uploading Beck into my IPOD so I can take him running tomorrow - then, Beck will come along with me while I go to TJ's and buy some chocolate - good call!
ReplyDeleteBTW- had ANOTHER perverted Canadian on my blog...what's up with that, eh?
You mean you found a preschool that still allows sugar/food/goody bag festivities? I thought all schools had put the kibosh on that. Huh.
ReplyDeleteThe candy box is a good idea.
For YOU. :)
-Debbie
Yea for you for getting a cleaning crew in there!! And enjoy their candy! I, too, am also surprised at the amount of candy they are getting there to bring home from Montessori. I mean, I know it's the parents doing it (I'm assuming), but when my youngest went to her Montessori school, they said we could bring in one treat for the kids if we wanted, but discouraged anything else.
ReplyDeleteA FLAT of krispy kreme? A whole FLAT? What on earth?
ReplyDeleteAnita R...we do the EXACT same thing, exectp it's a candy jar, not box. :) And it works great.
ReplyDeleteAfter a few days of new treats, like on Halloween, the kids have picked out their favourite things anyways. Then they are not upset to throw it all together.
I think sometimes that is a simple answer to our erratic feelings. I hope that things start looking a bit better from here. I think the cleaning crew is a great idea, and you'll have to tell us how that turns out.
ReplyDeleteSorry about your least favorite Aunt coming back to visit.
ReplyDeleteI am feeling the urge to move lately as well -- wonder if it's b/c we are missing the seasons a bit. Ya know, it was 99* up here yesterday!
I HATE, HATE, HATE the goody bag thing. I don't even do them at birthday; I give bubbles or a beach bucket or something. My kids get PLENTY of junk and the trinkets are a pain in the butt.
Anyway, I hope Carolyn is on the mend quickly.
Well done! You're doing well and I hope the cleaning crew work out well. Just be very clear what is your top priority. My cleaner knows that if she doesn't do the bathrooms we're all likey to die of botulism and I don't mind her putting stuff on the beds to get the vacuuming done!
ReplyDeleteI hate to admit it but most of the stuff that comes home in goody bags "accidently" falls into the bin - and no-one misses them!
Get some rest, you deserve a good night.
Goody Bags and Sugar Treats . . . . at a Montessori School? What the? I totally think you should talk to the Directress. Tell them to check the handbook . . . both items go against Montessori values totally if you ask me?
ReplyDeleteSeriously - I would talk to the teacher.
Yours - Jessica