Today was another tired day – as soon as my oldest daughter saw me this morning, she asked, “Mommy, are you tired?” She never asked me that before. It made me wonder what I looked like – usually a shower is enough to wash away any tiredness I’m feeling but today it didn’t work. Then she looked down at the baby and said, “Is he tired also? He has the same look on his face as you!” LOL – there was a reason for that – we spent lots of time the entire night long bonding instead of sleeping!
But – it’s amazing how attitude makes all the difference! I told you that yesterday started off with me feeling uptight and antsy about everything. Today should have been the same or worse, if it was just the stuff going on that causes someone to be upset. But the truth is, it’s always our thoughts about something that are the source of our problems.
The people from the city came out and told me that they aren’t responsible for our sewage problem, and I thought how good it was that they came at 10am instead of later in the day. So that gave me time to call a plumber to take care of it (he’s here now – it’s 10 pm). Then I was late for the appointment I made with my oldest son’s principal, and being late is something I hate. But I just called, told him I’d be there 15 minutes later, and didn’t get uptight about it. I was given more opportunities to work on letting go of things I can’t control during the drive there, since I hit every possible stop light, road work delays, and then had to wait for an 18 wheeler to pull into a tiny driveway (which blocked traffic on both sides until he finished). And I thought how lucky I was to have more time to relax in the car myself, listening to music I don’t usually listen to when the kids are around.
As far as the appointment with the principal – that deserves a post of its own. I’ll just say in short, that a parent has to be willing to advocate for their child, because your child may be your first priority, but never is someone else’s top priority – no matter how nice they are. I’ll try to share more about this later on today – I’m trying to catch up here since I’ve hardly had time all week without a baby in my arms to write.
I got home from the appointment, delighted that my baby was still sleeping. I don’t like to leave him awake for my older girls to take care of, because I want them to have the time to use the way they want or need. My oldest daughter hurt her hand yesterday, and told me when I got back that it was really hurting. She’s not one to complain, so I called her pediatrician and got an appointment for 40 minutes later. I always end up waiting a very, very long time, so I took a book and my 5 year old, so I could read with him while we waited. Amazingly enough, my closest friend in town who I’ve been leaving messages for in response to her messages – had the appointment right before me. And so we had a chance to connect for 15 or 20 minutes while my daughter went into see the doc.
The arm isn’t broken, which is all I wanted to check for. I was concerned about a fracture, but it seems it’s okay. She iced it after she hurt it yesterday, then I wrapped it up to compress it, and gave her arnica (a homeopathic remedy I keep in my purse because it’s so good for bumps, bruising, traumas, and aches). The doctor gave a good little memory device to remember how to deal with things like this: RICE – R- rest; I – ice; C – compression; E – elevation. She commended my daughter on doing all the right things – but my daughter didn’t tell her about the arnica. 🙂
We dealt with the sewer problem by not doing anything to make it worse – no laundry, dishes, toilet flushing (unless absolutely necessary) – and all of the water subsided and drained back away. But yes, my kitchen is a huge mess and when the plumber finishes, I’m going to have a lot of cleaning up to do before I can get to sleep. It’s amazing how many dishes a family our size uses, even when we’re keeping it simple. It’s really noticeable when they aren’t done in a timely way! When the plumber came, he told me it will be $500 to fix it. I had to take a deep breath at that, since I wasn’t expecting it to be nearly that much. But he’ll clean up all the stuff from when it overflowed and everything will be nice and sanitary. And for that price, my 9 year old son gets some nighttime entertainment, as he’s been watching it all and finding it very fascinating!
So was it a day of exhaustion, overflowing sewage, doctor visits, a messy house, and expensive home repairs or not?? Like I said, it’s all in the attitude!
Avivah
