Bippity Boppity Boo
I’m starting to feel like the cartoon character, Joe Btfsplk, from Lil’ Abner. He was the character that was followed by his very own personal raincloud wherever he went. Lucky him. I’ll admit to having to look up who he was, since I’ve never been a fan/follower of Lil’ Abner. In my head, I was picturing Pig Pen, from the Peanuts, but apparently, he had a dust cloud, rather than a rain cloud. And while my house is definitely dirtier than normal due to a lack of time, I don’t think I’ve reached the point of having my own dust cloud. Ew.
Seriously, my life has become ridiculous. First it was planning for a Bat Mitzvah 24/7 and dealing with everything related to that, while at the same time trying to prevent the daughter from thinking that the world would continue to revolve around her afterwards. The wonderful, but stressful, milestone was followed immediately by same daughter’s broken thumb, requiring doctor’s appointments, therapy appointments and multiple conversations with the school in order to make adjustments to her schedule and workload (because, of course, it was her writing thumb). So much for my conversation about the Earth revolving around the Sun. Just as that is easing up and I thought I’d be able to relax, she had periodontal surgery to help her 12-year-old molars grow in (she’s 13) so that her braces can come off. She looks like a chipmunk, is only eating soft foods and is easing off of pain meds.
My husband has been crazy at work, resulting in his crackberry going off at all hours of the day and night. His stress is ongoing and there’s no end in sight. The younger daughter, who I vowed would never be a middle child, has become the middle child, because everything that’s been going on has been happening to everyone around her and she seems to get shuffled to the side (cue the Mommy Guilt). I’m busier than ever shuttling the daughter around, trying to pick up some of the slack at home while creating my own in the process, proving to the younger daughter she hasn’t been forgotten, adding numerous hats to my head in my “volunteer work” and trying to finish my current manuscript so I can submit it for possible publication. Forget about marketing my current books. That has slipped by the wayside, until I start to feel bad and do a rash of publicity, hoping it will make up for everything that I let slide.
And this doesn’t even cover other things that are going on that I’ve promised not to blog about here. So, yes, life is busy and I’m a little stressed (I’m also the Queen of Understatement). My parents want to send my husband and me on a weekend away. They’ve promised to watch the kids and the dog. I love the idea. Unfortunately, the thought of planning that weekend—determining where we want to go that’s within driving range of our house, what we want to do that will please both of us, and figuring out when we are both available at the same time (ha!)—only adds to the stress that we’re both feeling. So I actually have to say no. Seriously? Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth. Oh, and the awesome gift card for a massage that I was given for my birthday to relieve stress—still can’t find the time to get to it (same goes for my shopping trip).
People have asked what I want for Mother’s Day. I want a wife who can take over all the chores my husband and I haven’t had time to do and won’t be getting to in the foreseeable future. I want a chauffeur who can schlep my kids to the various places they need to go so I don’t have to inconvenience anyone who’s currently doing it. I want a fairy godmother who can listen to all my worries without getting stressed or concerned for me and make them magically disappear. And I want to get rid of this stupid raincloud that’s following me around. Because seriously, enough is enough.
*Public apology: If you’re one of the wonderful people who have listened to me (or tried to get me to talk to you), assisted with anything, given me those great gift cards, or married me, I am not in any way complaining about you. It’s not any of you–it’s the damn raincloud! [image error]
