I have never really thought how I would die, but I so hope it is no where as painful as what I am dealing with at the moment. For the past 36 hours or so I have had the opportunity to experience a double ear infection with the added bonus of a sinus infection. Childbirth of twins was not this painful! My head feels three times it's normal size, all while being squeezed with a vice. My eardrums feel as if Jacks is sticking them repeatedly with an ice pick. Add fever and chills that even a sleeping bag and 2 quilts couldn't stop and you have a little idea of my misery. But yet, in every storm there is a silver lining. My worth as Mommy is finally realized.
I am not one to be incapacitated by illness, childbirth, or throat surgery. I take the lumps, suck it up and return to my Mother duties as quickly as possible. But this time I could not win. I was hit as soon as I got up Thursday morning to prepare the kids for school. Chills were so bad I couldn't even pack lunches. At the point we were thinking flu, so I didn't really need to be making lunches anyway. In steps Daddy Weasley to the plate and that is when the chaos began.
First of all, let me reiterate. I love my husband. He is a wonderful father, husband, provider,"Tim the Toolman", best friend....oh lets just say Daddy Weasley wears many, many hats. Unfortunately, the Mommy hat does not fit. And after the past two days, I will never, ever, hesitate to remind him of that fact.
I like routines and schedules and consistency. I have never been open to change in my daily school routine. Watching Daddy Weasley herd the kids out to school and having him in control of both Mommy and Daddy duties the past two days has put life into perfect prospective. I.Can.Never.Die.
I pack lunches for all four kids every day of the school year. This year with Jacks in Kindergarten that will roughly amount to 744 lunches (of course number will vary due to illnesses, field trips, mental health days). Due to such an excess amount of Pb&J's, pimento cheese and whatever other whim my kids have decided for the week, all lunch boxes, sandwich boxes, water bottles and ice packs are color coded. Excessive? Maybe, but it cuts down considerably on lunchroom surprises and it makes my life easier as there are no lunch complaints to listen to later in the day. Where as all this makes my life easier, to Daddy Weasley it was just all pretty colors. Cam's sandwich was plopped into Al's sandwich box. Jacks' quickly followed into Haybug's box. It was like watching a slow massacre. And upon correcting him? I received a lecture about coddling the kids.
It all went downhill from there.
I get up at 5:15 A.M on a school day and have roughly 2 hours to get four kids, a husband and myself out the door. On days I do not work the morning is a little more relaxed, but with three schools to drop off at we still need to be out the door no later than 7:18. I have it all worked out to the minute. My shower, packing lunches, making breakfast and injecting myself with 2 cups of coffee will be finished no later than 6:15. At that time I start my morning routine of yelling at the kids to wake up. By 6:45 I am dressed (some days complete with make-up) and struggling to get Jacks jump started.
All of this was lost on Daddy Weasley. Bless his heart, but he blew my schedule all to heck. By 6:45 I was on the couch begging for the kids to kill me and bury me out in the yard.(However, they had to make sure I was deep enough that the Doxies would not dig me right back up.) The kids were running around like Lemmings that had lost their leader. Daddy Weasley was handing out lectures about being spoiled and telling the kids that by the age of 13,
he was living alone on the streets and packing his own darn lunch. The kids finally scrambled out the door at 7:20 looking lost and forsaken.
We have lived in Auburn more years than I care to count, and yet my husband still can't find his way around town. 3 previous children at AEEC, and yet he forgets how to get to the Kindergarten. Thanks goodness Haybug's school is literally around the block from our house. He gets lost every time he makes the 10 minute drive to the middle school. And if you think morning drop off was a horror, just add a thirty minute wait between dismissals at AEEC and the elementary school and an hour between Hay's school and the twins. If you saw him leaving for afternoon pickup yesterday, you'd had thought I had requested my needle phobic husband to donate blood.
The afternoon and evening was a classic rendition of
Lord of the Flies. In between bouts of consciousness I tried to yell out reminders of homework, bedtimes schedules, and general health concerns. HA! They knew I was weak, and I was ignored. By 7, Daddy Weasley just gave up. By 10, I was in my room receiving death bed visits with pleads to feel better.
After sleeping today away until Noon ( I didn't even try to assist in the morning routine except for a clothing inquiry or two), I am feeling more human. I even ventured out to pick Jacks and Haybug up from school knowing that Daddy Weasley didn't need the extra strain on his heart. All I can say at this point is thank goodness it's Friday and I can rest on the couch tomorrow without worrying about tardies, or color coded lunches or Thursday Folders.
There is a little saying on refrigerator magnets everywhere that says "you don't appreciate what I do until I don't do it." Lets just say the other 5 members of the Weasley Household finally understand.
