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Learning to Fly - A Day in the Life
Learning to Fly
• Saturday, July 18, 2009 - A Day in the Life
I haven't been great at keeping up with the blog lately. There's been so much going on! Lots to blog about and no time to do it.
Yesterday was my birthday. I had quite the day. Really, it was just a typical day.
Technically, I guess the day started just before midnight. I woke up out of a sound sleep realizing that I had not locked the chicken coop. Danger, Will Robinson, danger! Visions of foxes danced in my head.
I jumped up, staggered into the bathroom for my glasses, and stumbled downstairs and outside. I got all the way out to the coop, saw that the door was locked, and remembered that my husband had said he'd take care of it and that's why I didn't do it.
Back to bed, only to be awakened at 1 a.m. by my little son. Boyo was crying and hollerin' about his leg. "My leg hurts! My leg hurts! I need some medicine. Now! It hurts, it hurts!" By the time we got a handle on what was going on, found the ibuprophen and got some in him, massaged his legs and got him back to sleep, more than half an hour had passed.
Two o'clock rolled around. What is that terrible sound? That piercing shriek? The fog lifted. I found my glasses again, stumbled downstairs again, and took Keeper out to the puppy potty area in the Back Forty of the yard, all the while scanning the shadows for our friends Coyote, Raccoon and Skunk. Then back inside to her crate, and back to bed. The moon was pretty, though. I'm glad I saw it.
Three o'clock: Kitty came in to let me know that Big Girl needed me. I'll say! She had a temp of 103, and was nauseous. I gave her the last of the fever med and stayed with her until she fell asleep. Then back to bed.
Brrring! It's 6:00. Time to get up and get moving. I had a 7:00 appointment for a mammogram. Yes, on my birthday. Can you think of a better time? Disappointingly, there were no balloons on the mammo machine.
On the way home I called DH at work to give him a report. Ended up in a telephone argument. Sweet.
Stopped to get some fever meds; it was 5 minutes after opening but the employees wouldn't unlock until the manager got there. He was late. I got home, paid the sitter, checked on Big Girl and gave her more meds. Dealt with the chickens' and guinea pigs' needs for food and water, crated Keeper, and got down to business.
I spent from 8:30 until 2:00 working with Kitty trying to complete her astronomy notebook and lapbook, peppered with doing laundry , answering the non-stop phone (which I wouldn't have answered at all except I am pining to hear from the washing-machine repair man), and running from the basement upstairs to wipe Big Girl's brow as she retched, or to take her something to sip, or to just be with her in the moment. I did have to take a few breaks from all this excitement to take the dog out, or to interrupt an argument or to feed someone or somesuch.
Princess and Boyo were up and at 'em early, of course. They played nicely but made quite the mess in the family room. The mess is still there, btw.
By 2, I was exhausted. I sent Kitty and Princess up to their room to rest with Big Girl while I put Boyo down for his nap. By the time he fell asleep, I nodded off, too, but my nap kept getting interuppted by the phone, the door, the you-name-it.
Finally, I got up and began to try to get things done, but couldn't start anything for having to run up to comfort Big Girl. Poor thing. Being sick is so hard on her.
When I first got up and went to check on Big Girl, she asked if I had seen Princess. "She was in here but she disappeared." Hmmm, better look for her. It's pretty quiet around here. I checked the den couch, the living room couch, the basement. Checked the yard. Checked the doors to make sure they were locked and she hadn't escaped out the front. Premises secure.
I began to get worried, and checked everything again. And again. Still no Princess. I contemplated calling the police, and went up to ask Big Girl when she had last seen Princess. Then a thought occurred to me. I climbed up the ladder to Kitty's bunk, and Princess was asleep on the other side of Kitty. Whew! Crisis averted, Princess safe and sound... asleep.
About that time, DH came home. He was thrilled with the state of the kitchen. I believe he used words like "sickening.... doesn't take that much time.... ridiculous..."
I responded by taking the dog out to the potty.
When I came back in, I put on my apron to begin cleaning up the kitchen, only to hear, "What are you doing? It's your birthday!" Huh?
Oh, well, no time to be in the kitchen anyway. Big Girl was retching again.
After that, I went out with Princess to take the recyclables. Saw the teen neighbor across the street lovingly polishing his new '70 Ford truck as his parents watched. Went over to say hi, and was there about 5 minutes before DH came out to let me know that Big Girl needed me. I came back home to see about her, and he and the rest of the children stayed and chatted.
While I was caring for Big Girl, Keeper was busy. I got downstairs in time to rescue a sock from her teeth, and then to clean up a puddle. By this time, Princess and Boyo were home. Princess pointed out the maze where Keeper had taken a new skein of yarn out of my knitting bag and woven it through three room.
I asked Princess and Boyo to take Keeper outside. While they were arguing with me, Keeper gave me another present. It was not gift-wrapped.
DH made tacos for dinner. I had gotten some Spanish rice as a side, but he said the tacos were plenty and that nobody eats that junk anyway. Hmm, I eat it...
Finally got all the healthy children corralled at the table and sat down to eat. Big Girl intercomed. Could she have some toast? Now? She was starving. I got up and made her toast and took it up.
After dinner, we ate cake. Kitty and DH made my special birthday cake, strawberry cake with strawberry frosting. Big Girl felt well enough to come down and sing Happy Birthday and have just a sliver of cake. "Since we just have it once a year..."
We cleaned up after dinner and opened presents in the den. I knew DH had not had time to take the children shopping. (Thus I was not surprised when he came in from work hiding a small grocery bag behind his back.)
Each of the children presented me with a gift of chocolate, which I needed. I had searched for some desperately yesterday afternoon, and finally found an opened remainder of a chocolate bar hidden in the back of my baking cupboard. No telling how long it had been there.
I ate it. It was good.
So, the chocolate was a good gift.
Then, DH presented me with FOUR tickets to the upcoming Rod Stewart concert! Suh-weet! I'm very excited. We are taking C and K with us; we've all been friends for more than 18 years. And DH said he'd buy me a concert t-shirt. I haven't been to a concert in 20 years. Back in the day, I loved to go to concerts, and I loved to listen to Rod Stewart. I didn't even know he's still performing.
After that, it was bedtime. Kitty cried because she couldn't understand why we needed to go to bed instead of watching the end of "The Apple Dumpling Gang." After all, it was only 9:00. DH got annoyed with her. It was a tender moment.
Finally, we got every one moving up to bed. Everyone was in pj's, the girls had lights out and DH was telling the bedtime story. I hadn't gotten ready for bed yet - that 'only one bathroom and 4 people in it' thing.
I was just starting to get ready for bed when Boyo decided he wanted to use the potty. He's still figuring out the potty v. diaper thing. We have a powder room on the main floor and that's the only one he will use. So, I walked with him down there and he did his best, but was convinced nothing had happened. When he hopped off, I could see that he had been productive and sat him back on the potty to get him cleaned up.
After I dropped the tissue in the potty, my hair fell into my eyes. I tucked it behind my ears only to notice that my hand hadn't been quite clean. Eew-stinkin'gross! Literally.
DH was doing his physical therapy by this time, so I took Boyo up to the changing table, finished cleaning him up and dressed him. Then I Took. A. Shower. At ten o'clock at night.
I crawled into bed with wet hair and fell asleep.
Big Girl woke me at 11 to help her retch.
And the cycle continues.
Really, this was just a typical day. "It's part of it," as my dad would say. And I wouldn't trade a minute of it.
Except maybe for the part about my son on the potty resulting in me in the shower...
Ramblings on my Christian walk and my career as a wife and a home-discipling mother...
We are Set Free Academy, claiming Isaiah 42:6-8 as our Scripture.
Our Eclectic Home Education Recipe
*Before Five in a Row
*Mystery of History Volume 1
*Apologia Elementary Science
*Math U See
*ARTistic Pursuits
*Queen Language Lessons
*Cantering the Country geography
*PowerGlide Spanish
all mixed up with a little Charlotte Mason and frosted with carschooling and outside lessons.
ON THE NIGHTSTAND
I'm currently removing the dangerous tower of books from my nightstand before I end up like Flat Stanley. Check back for book recommendations later.
