Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Just a typical vacation day

Vacations for me as a working mother are packed with a ton of stuff that I prefer to do when school is not in session. This makes for non-relaxing days...here's today:
Lie awake in bed from 2-4am thinking about all of the things I have to do. This includes baking, wrapping and buying a few more gifts, seeing friends coming into town, etc. Get up to find Ryan and Brady making chocolate chip pancakes (read HUGE mess), eat breakfast, tell Olivia she can't pack quite yet for her upcoming sleepover tonight that she is over the moon about, get dressed, sitter comes over, I go work out and do Zumba, run to Cake and Candy World for baking supplies (this is the year for me to make pretty sugar cookies!), come home, pay the sitter, call the ortho's office to see why they are calling me only to find out I have an appointment today at 1:40, panic as my three kids have dental appointments, call my mom to see if she can take the kids to the dentist, call my friend to see if Brady can go over there, shower, eat, send Ryan off to play hockey at the park with his team, finish getting ready, put Brady down for a quick nap, sit for a few minutes, Brady wakes up, change his diaper, make girls brush teeth again, leave for my appointment, sit there, have them literally try to saw off cement from my upper retainer, get two impressions, find out I have to come back in an hour to pick up my retainer, call my mom and ask her to stay at the dentist, get Brady, go back to ortho, sit way too long for my 5 minute appt, deal with him talking non stop to a Santa Claus balloon, get my new retainer, drive to my parents', look at Olivia's eye which has been funny for two days and decide that I will take her to the walk in after their chiropractor appointments, pull away as my mom tells me she think Olivia has a fever, Olivia tells me she is just peachy, go to the chiropractor, get everyone adjusted, Kate tells me Olivia has diarrhea and needs me to wipe, go do that, get Brady adjusted, leave for walk in, get checked in, find out Olivia has a 102 fever (say what?), tell her no sleep over, Olivia crumbles, my heart breaks as she was so excited to be with the big girls tonight, hold a sobbing/feverish Olivia in my arms, try to occupy Brady, Kate leans forward to watch her necklace sway, falls forward on to her head, starts crying, wants her mom, Olivia's crying, and then Brady gets mad at everyone for ignoring him, nurse comes in to tell me that the doctor has a patient that is taking more time than expected, I say that's okay, we're just a three ring circus in here, doctor finally comes in, says she has an ear infection & pinkeye & possibly strep since it's really going around, but no need to put her through that since she needs antibiotics, schlep the kids back home, call Thad who had to work late to call Hi-Ho for burgers as that's what I'm cooking tonight, get food, eat, and sit!
Thad and I did something we never do: we left the kids in Ryan's care while we went to get Olivia's prescrption. Hey we will take any sort of 'date' we can. Of course it wasn't ready, so we found some stocking stuffers in the meantime. Then we went to Hockey Zone to get a few more things, came home, found our four kids happily in pajamas, and got Olivia her medicine. Then I made a double batch of sugar cookie dough for tomorrow's baking-fest, cleaned the kitchen, and got the little kids to bed. Kate is reading, Ryan is watching tv, and I am going to read soon. I also rented at the little kiosk outside of Walgreens "The Kids are Alright." It's gotten rave reviews, so I am looking forward to watching it.
Hey no complaints here about my day, but this post is one reason why there is no such thing as a vacation once you become a parent!

5 comments:

Stephanie said...

Um...wow! I get stressed out enough having to run around all day doing errands, etc. WITHOUT children. I think you are an amazing mom the way you handle your daily life with such diligence. Sorry to hear about Olivia. I hope she feels better in time for Christmas. Vacation days at home are never really vacation are they? It seems there is always something that needs to be done!

TBRKO said...

Thanks Steph--right after I wrote this, I dropped a brand new OPI bottle of nail polish on the floor. Of course it broke and splattered....nice.
Kate now has a fever/sore throat.
Thad is gone all day and night playing hockey/going out.
Time for bed yet?

Anonymous said...

Goodness - you amaze me...I am sure this is the "norm" for you but reading this makes me want to take a nap! Merry Christmas!!!

Hanno

Melissa said...

The words "sleep", "date", and "vacation" definitely take on a different meaning once you are a parent!
Merry Christmas, Bonnie and family!

ABCDH said...

SuperBonnie!! That made me laugh - you are one BUSY Mom!