This past week felt extremely packed from Monday through Thursday. I felt like I was barely keeping up with what needed to happen, barely breathing, barely staying afloat. What is always an odd juxtaposition with that feeling is that when I’m actually teaching or giving a massage then I’m not stressed or feeling time pressure. It is just all the in-between stuff. Plus there were many added things that we don’t normally have in a week.
Monday I got home from visiting my friend (a 6-hour drive away) in time to meet Sarah’s bus and take her to her piano lesson. That meant leaving basically as soon as she got off the bus. For this week I will see if she can get off at the bus stop prior to hers, which is a block away from her piano lesson. After piano we have 45 minutes before it is time to get ready for swim lessons.
Tuesday, as soon as I got back from teaching, I got Carl’s help to put our cat in her carrier for a vet appointment. She has been over-grooming and scratching too much for a while. Prednisone helped with the scratching, but the vet doesn’t want her on a steroid forever. So we switched to a liquid allergy medication. The med she was on to help with the overgrooming meant she wasn’t eating her dinner so we switched to something that I put in her ear. I zoomed home from the vet to meet Sarah’s bus. As soon as Sarah got off the bus, I took her for an x-ray of her abdomen. I have been wondering for a while if she was dealing with constipation/impaction despite daily miralax. It turns out that I was right to be concerned. Additionally, the x-ray shows lumbar scoliosis (her spine in her low back curves to one side) which I am distressed and concerned about. I haven’t been able to speak to the doctor about it yet. Overall the process went smoothly except for feeling like a grumpy mean mom in the waiting room as I tried to help Sarah with technology. I kept thinking “Oh my goodness, we are that family! We are the ones causing a disturbance and everyone is looking at us.” I also felt grumpy and mean as Sarah went into screaming mode when they wanted her to take off her clothes and put on a robe for the x-ray. After a minute of screaming I went to ask if she could please keep her shirt on because she really didn’t want to take it off. They agreed and then all was well. As soon as we got back from the x-ray it was time for her shower and then for her session with Sc. Then I went to get groceries, as I usually do.
Wednesday I had a longer work day than usual so Anna met Sarah’s bus and stayed with the kids until Carl took over at 7. I had time after work at the massage school to come home for one hour and make dinner, but then it was time to go see my evening client. I used to always see an evening person on Thursdays, but just changed it to fit our schedule better overall. Anyway, it just meant that Wednesday felt different than usual.
Then Thursday was mostly normal but was still full with work and an unexpected but necessary errand of going to get Sarah’s backpack where she had accidentally forgotten it in Anna’s car. In the morning we discovered it was missing and there was much upset on Sarah’s part and much tension on my part as I worried that her upset would mean she wouldn’t get ready for the bus. At least she was able to tell us where it was so we didn’t spend our morning tearing apart the house. Amy leapt into action with letting Sarah borrow one of her backpacks to which Amy taped paper cats and musical notes that she drew. It was picture day so Sarah got to wear her favorite new shirt with cats and musical notes. She wore a matching mask and her musical note pants made by Grandma. I also took the kids to get much needed bang-trims on Thursday afternoon, but we had to leave as soon as Sarah was done with her SR session with G. I felt like I didn’t really exhale until Thursday after the bang trims, aside from when I was breathing relaxedly while working!
Friday morning Sarah’s bus was so late that I drove her to school (after many minutes of waiting and wondering and communicating with the other parents on the route and having Sarah scream in upset) and had my fingers crossed that the afternoon bus would be timely. It was.
I have felt generally mad at many people and many situations for most of the week (aside from when I was working). So this week felt hard and I’m glad yesterday and today are relaxed days. I’m letting the kids do extra technology because I feel a need to be a lump on the couch. Overall I think the past few weeks have felt more stressful than anything since the early days of the covid shut-down. Maybe I am just forgetting other hard times. I’m sure I am. But still. It hasn’t felt easy.
Carl was away all day yesterday for a bike race. He has a work meeting this morning and tonight leaves for the week for a work trip. So extra Peppa Pig episodes and naps for Sarah. Amy had a long play date yesterday and will probably so do again today once she finishes her homework. I will not do much.
On a more positive note, I leave you with this small conversation Carl and Sarah had yesterday:
S: The boat goes up, and the boat goes down. The boat goes up, and the boat goes down.
C: What’s that from?
S: Peppa the Pig
C: What’s it about?
S: A boat ride with Grandpa Pig
C: Why does the boat go up and down?
S: Because they are singing, “The boat goes up, and the boat goes down.”
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