Much like the amazing women in Beth Feldman's book "See Mom Run", I can't help but laugh at the follies that make up my "normal life". I laugh even harder when I think about what I thought was "normal" pre-children.
The holidays make me crazy. Yes, in the my book, there is nothing that puts me on edge more than te monthlong preparation for the Christmas festivities. It is enough to bring any strong woman to tears. Due a variety of factors (economy and the swine flu - a whole 'nutha story), I said NO to the madness this year. I said NO to a week long trip to spend the holiday with my extended family. We said NO to extravagant gifts and I said YES to gift cards, when I usually pride myself on making handmade gifts. We had a quiet holiday. We spent time as a small family together. We played board games, watched movies and rode our bikes around the neighborhood. We had 5 blissful family days together.It was great, until I realized we had to fill in 6 more days of winter break with activities. I own my own business ( three actually), so I was not on a "real vacation", but "working from home". sigh. I plied the kids through the week with "movie rentals", "arts and crafts" and "extra" video game playing time". It rained in Northern California, ensuring that kids were forced to stay inside. (Just what a work-from home mom needed)
With 48 hours left, I started to pat myself on the back for making it through the two weeks. I started planning what to buy at the grocery store for the following week's lunch. I referred to my calendar thinking about when I would schedule a manicure to treat myself. I started to do the Happy Dance because soon life would go back to normal. The kids would be in school soon and I could work guilt free for 8 hours a day! Woot! Woot!I then looked at my sweet daughter and noticed that she was napping; strange for my 6YO in the middle of the day. Oh, is that green goop around her eye? Frick, she has pink eye! She is going to miss the first day back to school? We were so close to getting back to "normal"! What is normal anyway? Life has been in flux ever since I unexpectedly found out I was pregnant over a decade ago. Sigh.
We spent half the next day at the doctor's office and pharmacy, we squeezed in a trip to the grocery store to buy orange juice and set up the "sick room". Welcome to parenthood - and my new sense of normal. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Oh no! Pink eye is the worst! & it spreads. I hope she's recovered & that the rest of you were spared. Take care!
Posted by: Asianmommy | January 11, 2010 at 08:06 PM