Editor’s Note– I actually posted this post and then deleted it because I was a little embarrassed about my whiny tone. I got some emails that people were looking for this entry in their feeds so it is back up here…only read this if you can handle all the whining and moaning. Seriously, WHINING and MOANING. You have been warned!
My husband has been out of town since Monday and I thought I could do this on my own. I envisioned our fun-filled days and evenings that would be spent painting my toes and catching up on my reading.
Day One– The roofing construction begins on our home. A new roof has been in the works since we moved into this house. I never thought of how this construction would impact our day. No naps for kids means a tired mommy and grumpy children.
Day Two– My son comes down with a nasty case of pink eye. He can’t go to school for the next two days until we get it cleared up.
Day Three– Rained all day, which leaves our house quiet. Emily wakes up with a snotty nose and Ethan’s eye is gooped beyond recognition. The only thing I have to look forward to is my girlfriend coming for the evening. We cook. We clean. We prepare for her visit…she has an unexpected conflict and can’t come. I think we scared her off with all of our illnesses.
Day Four– Our gutters turn up missing (after being removed from our house for the roofing job). I have to file a police report and talk to a detective. I feel ridiculous reporting a case of missing gutters and embarrassed that I am wasting their time with something so trivial. They were our gutters though so I file my little plea that they figure out who the culprit is.
Day Five– Emily is sicker by the minute and wakes up with a 102 degree fever. I get a late appointment at the doctor and he tells me she has a bad case of strep throat.
Day Six– I can only imagine how great the day will be putting drops in Ethan’s eye three times a day, distributing penicillin to Emily and medicine to keep down her fever, as I swipe her little nose. I feel so bad for them both and am feeling blue myself.
My days are filled with nursing sick children and running myself into the ground. The evenings are spent playing catch up on the household chores and laundry. Fabulous dinners at home were replaced with two trips to the fast food joint so that I could keep my sanity. No painting of nails or relaxation in the evening, in fact, I didn’t even blow dry my hair this week because there was no time.
The final nail in the coffin is calling the bed and breakfast, where we have reserved our room for our anniversary this weekend, and letting them know we can’t come. One case of pink eye and one case of strep seal the deal.
How do single moms of the world do it? I humbly bow to them because I am a blubbering mess right now. I am so ashamed that I couldn’t do it for one week. I really believed it was going to be a great week, but it seemed I have a little too much confidence.