My husband has been stuck in a 8-5 course since last Monday. For two weeks, he’s been attending this Sexual Abuse Prevention course (yes, not class, as he’ll become certified in some God-forsaken thing when all’s said and done) that couldn’t have been scheduled at a worse time. Just before Christmas. The last two weeks of school. Christmas plays, band concerts, social studies fairs, class parties, special meals at school, yadda-yadda-yadda.
To say I want to kick someone’s ass for this ridiculousness is an understatement. “Hey, let’s send the guy with SIX FREAKIN’ KIDS to a two-week long class, and let his wife flail around like an idiot for two weeks by herself, bouncing from school-to-school, function-to-function like a yo-yo.”
Tomorrow is yet another one of those days – I have to make eighteen (18!!) children pancakes for my first-graders class, with syrup, drop those off, take pictures of their pajama party, to turn around and run to my older children’s fifth-grade celebrations, take pictures, attend their Christmas performance in which they sing “Mele Kalikimaka” in Hawaiian shirts, eat pizza, and generally spazz out on their last day of school.
“Oh, and mom? I need chips and dip for this class, and drinks for this class. And a snack for this class. We’re having five parties tomorrow,” so-sayeth my teenager tonight, in “preparation” for tomorrow. Now I get to go out and get those things. Why couldn’t they have told us sooner??
Doing all of this with two strong-willed toddlers in tow, who probably won’t nap and will wreak havoc. All while feeling under the weather.
This is, by far, way harder than it was when my husband was deployed. I had just given birth to our fourth child back then. We now have six. Back then we only had one child in school. Now we have four attending school. With events and things and sports and crafts and lists and homework and demands and ARGH! {stress headache forming}
What’s worse, is because he’s been in class these last two weeks of school, we have absolutely no time to go shopping without all the children in tow. I depend upon school-time to go Christmas shopping – generally work is slow, people are on leave, he gets extra time off, so we get to sneak in that all-important shopping time.
I mean, for crying out loud, I haven’t even finished decorating the tree yet! Not a single speck of holiday decor is up. (And it’s usually up in November, because I love this holiday so much.) I am so behind, it isn’t even funny. This house is a wreck. I can’t catch my breath.
I am doing my best to put on the “mom face” and suck it up, because I enjoy seeing my children perform, having lunch with them at school, and doing all the wonderful holiday things their teachers have to offer, but having to do it all-day, every day, all by myself is just plain tiring. Exhausting. Utter and complete insanity.
Can I haz a nap now? {end rant, I promise}
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