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Absolutely Normal Chaos: My Personal War
(Mom) plus (Five kids) minus (Dad in Iraq) plus (one year) = chaos
By: Amy Efaw
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| Monday, 20-Jun-2005 00:00 |
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Breaking news
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So, I was driving to pick Arianna up from her week-long soccer camp (first day today) at about a quarter to 3. She'd been there since 9. I was driving up Federal Blvd to get onto I-70 and I heard/felt something snap under my car, and then I felt something dragging under the car. So, I pull off the road toward a service station about 100 meters away.
I got one of the mechanics in the service station to quickly look at the thing that was dragging under my car, just to see if he felt it was safe to drive my car since I had Arianna waiting for me about 15 min. away. He thought it looked like something to do w/ the emergency break, but wasn't sure and wouldn't be able to check it out for about an hour. Also, I spotted something dripping from underneath the engine. The guy felt it would not be safe to drive, so I punched Erin's cell number on my cell (we'd seen her a couple hours earlier at the swimming pool swimming laps, so I knew that she wasn't working today and just might be available to bail me out).
She rescued me! She was meeting somebody someplace, but cancelled her plans to pick up Arianna. Then the 7 of us crammed into her little sedan "refugee style" as Erin put it (also noting it wasn't exactly a PC description).
With Erin's help, I decided not to have the service station guy diagnose the car for $65 and instead get it towed to someplace more reputable.
By the time I called a towing company that took credit cards, it was 4:30, so nobody would be able to look at the car until tomorrow morning earliest. So here I sit, stranded. Couldn't take Alix to practice today (turned out a blessing because the skies opened w/ lightening and pouring rain, and I would've prob have driven 30 min. south to just turn back around again when practice was cancelled). I couldn't run to the store as planned to get toilet paper and dish soap and lunch stuff. I am completely and totally out of all three items. That's right, not one square of toilet paper for 6 people, and not one drop of dish soap to wash the dishes piling up in the kitchen sink. And nothing lunch-like to send w/ Arianna for her camp (I had to buy Subway for her today as a "slug stopper.") The weather turned foul, so riding my bike to the nearest Safeway isn't exactly an option, either.
On the positive side: I feel a lot better. I swam today a mile plus, but I admit the first several laps I was really going to quit. I didn't think I'd be able to do it. I hadn't taken my inhaler for one thing, and my lungs were filled w/ wheezy gunk that would not cough out (the inhaler may have cleared some of that, I don't know). I thought I was going to drown on my own mucus that was hovering in my upper respiratory area. But then I finally coughed BIG TIME and most of it broke free. I had a GREAT workout after that.
Another positive: since I am in fact more or less stranded in my house, I can actually clean it. I'm totally out of my lysol foam spray, so I can't do bathrooms, but there's nothing stopping me from vacuuming and de-staining the carpet in the MANY areas that severely need attention (and have been needing it for months). Also, another work-in-progress I could move forward is completely putting away the winter clothes that are piled on top of dressers to make room for the summer stuff.
I'm sure I'm painting quite the picture of the state of my humble abode of late. What's emerging in your mind? Multiply that by about 5, and that would about equal what my house really looks like! Maybe one day I'll put up a picture to illustrate this.
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So it sounds like you are all very busy. And I just wanted to tell you that I work 6 blocks away from where you guys live. I get off work at 3 or 3:30 and if you ever need someone to watch your younger kids while you go pick up other kids from soccer or something, I would love to help you out! It is the first summer in 5 years that I haven't watched any kids! I miss it a lot. And since I work so close to you guys, I'd love to see all your kids (and you) sometime! I always had fun times watching your kid's. I will call you soon to give you my cell phone number.