Saved By My Kids

The other day R and I were talking about having bad days and how things just seem to go wrong for the entire day. This discussion was coming on the heels of a particularly bad day for R and A. I mentioned that for me, I have more than my fair share of bad moments (just ask my kids), but generally do not suffer from entire bad days.

On this note, this past Friday was a rough one, mainly because we have to be so many places within a short time, and I still need to get things done around the house (excuses, excuses). The day begins early with pottery, which starts at 9:30 and is always a challenge to get to on time. We love it, though, and go out of our way to make it there, mainly to see our friends, but also to get cool things done.

The plan was to take the recycling in after class, but the dump was closed for President’s Day. The funny thing was that there was a line of cars trying to get in but instead having to make a U-turn in the driveway. We even saw our neighbor, PA. After failing with the dump (I hate when that happens), we went to the store, and then home for lunch. We only had about 45 minutes to eat before I had to take A to rehearsal, which is a bummer because it only lasts about 45 minutes.

During lunch, I still had to get the dough ready for supper (we were planning on pizza, and the dough needs to rise), not to mention other household chores. I wasn’t going to pull it off. Normally during A’s rehearsal, N and I go to the library and hang out since it’s not enough time to really do much of anything. This time, however, we were going to have to come home and finish the things we didn’t finish.

The minute we got home, I explained to N the three things we had to do: fill the wood box, deal with the compost, and gather up all the library books that needed to be returned. He said he would help, and we hit the ground running (we only had 40 minutes, and counting). I went straight to the wood pile and filled the wheel barrow.

Now the funny thing I’ve noticed in life is that often when you try to do something to save time, you end up taking up more time, anyway. I tried to pile too much wood into the wheel barrow, thinking I could do it one trip. The minute I tried to wheel it to the door, the pile spilled out onto the snow. Boy was I enraged. After unleashing a few choice expletives, I gathered the spilled wood back into the wheel barrow, and started up again.

Well, wouldn’t you know it, but the pile was still unbalanced and spilled onto the ground AGAIN. I couldn’t believe it. I wanted to just walk away and tell everyone that I was having a bad day and couldn’t fill the pile. Of course, that was not an option. We need heat, and my little bout of whining wasn’t going to fly.

So I decided to make two trips, and got all the wood into the wood box (in this pic it’s only 3/4 full). I still had to deal with the compost and library books, and time was running out because A’s rehearsal was ending and we had to go.

When I went into the house, there sitting on the floor were the library books, all gathered and piled into the bag, ready to go. There was even a note on top indicating that they were the local library books. While I was whining and moaning about firewood, N had taken care of business inside. It brought a tear to my eye, and made me realize how our kids save me on a continual basis.

I thanked N and told him as such. It really helped, because we get our books from two libraries, and it can take a lot of time just sorting them out. Now I didn’t have to do it. Plus, the bag is heavy, so he must have lugged it down the stairs and to the door. What a great kid. I am so unworthy.

We loaded up the car, went to get A (I was late, she was waiting), and then off to the library for story hour. Afterward, the kids wanted to play and lingered so that by the time we got home, it was too late to make pizza. Oh well, you can’t win them all. We had hot dogs and fish sticks instead, and were fine with that. The dough can sit for days in the fridge. In fact, they recommend this for enhancing the flavor, so it all works out in the end.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.