Today started great and ended poorly. I took all the kids to the dentist for cleanings, orthodontics, teeth pulling etc. I actually love our pediatric dentist.<\/p>\n
The office staff is great, they are really good with kids, and they take our insurance.<\/p>\n
I couldn’t find my purse before the appointment so I ended up grabbed a checkbook and running out the door. Not having a purse meant I couldn’t stop at the store on the way home and pick up milk and \u00a0a few other essentials.<\/p>\n
I was upset that I couldn’t find it and frustrated that a few of my children were not moving fast enough in the morning.<\/p>\n
The dentist appointment also messed up our routine. Usually we work on school in the morning and then I work while the kids work independently in the afternoon.<\/p>\n
We sat down to start school at 2pm. At this point in the day my kids do not want to do school.<\/p>\n
At 9pm we were still doing school.<\/p>\n
Of course, if this was anyone else I’d say, just call it a day. But this year we’ve had far too many “just call it a day” days. Between the kitchen remodel, which began our first week of school, and the deployment we’ve had a lot of days fall apart.<\/p>\n
Of course if this was anyone else I would say, some years are need to be more relaxed. But we’ve had far too many relaxed years. I see gaps in my kids’ education because of the frequent disruptions,we’ve moved or had a baby in the middle of almost every school year for the past ten years.<\/p>\n
It takes its toll on the kids.<\/p>\n
So this year I’m trying very hard to stay on track. Days like today make it impossible.<\/p>\n
To add excitement to our day Cora was messing with her sister and her sister’s hair got wrapped around her new earring. When they separated the earring fell out of Cora’s ear.<\/p>\n
I could not get it back in. I spent 20 minutes while she cried and shook trying to get it back in, but I couldn’t. So now she has one earring and we need to wait for the hole to close up and get it re-pierced. Not exactly what I wanted to do today.<\/p>\n
I’m trying to have perspective, but it is hard. I’m tired.<\/p>\n
Yesterday I had a fleeting thought that things were actually going pretty well and things were getting done. Then my seven-year-old told me she had no pants to wear to the dentist.<\/p>\n
Clearly all the extra time this week has been due to the fact that I haven’t done laundry in a long time. It’s amazing how much time is available when you aren’t doing laundry for eight people.<\/p>\n
I’m sure at some point I will laugh about all of this.<\/p>\n
But today is not that day.<\/p>\n