My Day - Tuesday, April 26th, 2016
Apr. 27th, 2016 07:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bymagajonesMy sister and brother-in-law have been out of town for a bit, so it's just been the 5 kids and me. We've started to develop our own rhythm, not an easy feat with none of the kids attending the same school.
Today was unusual, because four of the kids attend school here in Maryland, and they were off for the primary. The 5 year old, however, attends a private pre-school in Virginia that was still open. So I awoke earlier than usual, got him ready, and headed out the door. The idea was that since I left early, I could return home early, maybe sleep for another half hour, and get more done.
It took about three times longer to get him there than if I'd left two hours later, the time I usually depart. The drive was probably one of the most painful commutes I've ever driven ("painful" as opposed to "stressful", which is what I would term the... was it 6? hours it took me to arrive home after the ice-roads debacle a few months back) ; I don't know how people do it every day.
But it totally made me appreciate the drive home, even though I wasn't able to crawl back into bed and sleep a little longer when I got back.
Loads of laundry and dishes later, the 3 year old and I were off in my car to pick up the 5 year old. I'd already cleared the bed back home in the hopes that the baby would fall asleep in the car (like he did yesterday), but instead, he said he got something in his eye and cried all the way home. I stopped off at a 7-11 to try to rinse off his eye, but it didn't seem to do any good. A man who'd parked fairly closely came and asked if we were okay, said he had kids of his own and wanted to make sure we didn't need any help. I said we were fine, but it was incredibly sweet of him to ask. Before I left the parking lot, I texted my sister, who I knew was probably in a meeting, in the hopes that she'd be able to give me some tips if and when she was on a break.
We got home; the baby's eye seemed fine after I suggested that he take a nap to make it feel better (yeah, he wasn't buying it either).
I wasn't feeling all that well, so I just decided that we were going to have a quick Wendy's dinner, and then I'd start the baths (a production involving gathering towels, wash cloths, toys, bubble bath, and pajamas; and the 3 year old going to the bathroom beforehand after some unfortunate experiences).
That's when my car died. Right in front of a stoplight. On a busy street. During rush hour.
And when I say, "died", I mean even the hazards weren't working. A nice young police officer offered to push me out of traffic, but neither of us could put the car into neutral (he even tried some fancy stuff with the gear shift, but the car was giving us nothing).
I wasn't prepared. With a 2001 Nissan, I should've coordinated with my sister and brother-in-law to have a plan in case this happened, and I totally didn't do it. After a call with my brother-in-law, I decided to try a place that we've been to a multitude of times. The cop called for me, but the shop was closed, so he moved down to the next place on the list, and they came pretty quickly. Fortunately, the tow truck driver wasn't put off at the fact that the car couldn't get out of park, and he had her up and loaded in no time whatsoever. He gave me their business card and was off.
I waved my thanks to the police officer, who peeled away on what looked like another call, and I started my hike home. I love my Birkenstocks, but the pair I was wearing passed needing new soles about a year ago and are fine for walking to and from the car, and that's about it. After the third or fourth time of their sliding off my feet so my heels hit the ground, I just took them off and walked barefoot.
Forty minutes and 1.86 miles later, I was worried about walking down a part of the road that wasn't wired for pedestrians, and a woman pulled over and asked if I needed a ride.
Her name was Dawn, and she was my saving grace today. She didn't know me, had just moved into her very own house in my direction, and took pity on me. For that, I will always be thankful. She took a leap of faith in pulling over and offering a ride to someone who could've had nefarious plans in mind. For those who pray, please throw in a good word for her (she's looking for a good job, so maybe add that too). For those who don't, please just toss some good vibes her way.
I got home in time to dry off the boys and put them in their pajamas (I cleaned my dirty feet in their bathwater, a quick and easy way to do that so I could put a bandage on the sizable blister growing on the ball of my foot) before I threw them both in my sister's minivan and went to Wendys - because the kids still needed to eat, and I was suddenly starving myself.
The plan was to stay up late and do things like another load of dishes, but the baby went to sleep beside me, and I found myself following suit before 10pm.
So, stressful day but I found bits of it made me appreciate what I have, like my sister's car. And kids big enough to put the little ones in the bathtub. And five good kids who didn't burn down the house while their aunt hiked home barefoot.
Today was unusual, because four of the kids attend school here in Maryland, and they were off for the primary. The 5 year old, however, attends a private pre-school in Virginia that was still open. So I awoke earlier than usual, got him ready, and headed out the door. The idea was that since I left early, I could return home early, maybe sleep for another half hour, and get more done.
It took about three times longer to get him there than if I'd left two hours later, the time I usually depart. The drive was probably one of the most painful commutes I've ever driven ("painful" as opposed to "stressful", which is what I would term the... was it 6? hours it took me to arrive home after the ice-roads debacle a few months back) ; I don't know how people do it every day.
But it totally made me appreciate the drive home, even though I wasn't able to crawl back into bed and sleep a little longer when I got back.
Loads of laundry and dishes later, the 3 year old and I were off in my car to pick up the 5 year old. I'd already cleared the bed back home in the hopes that the baby would fall asleep in the car (like he did yesterday), but instead, he said he got something in his eye and cried all the way home. I stopped off at a 7-11 to try to rinse off his eye, but it didn't seem to do any good. A man who'd parked fairly closely came and asked if we were okay, said he had kids of his own and wanted to make sure we didn't need any help. I said we were fine, but it was incredibly sweet of him to ask. Before I left the parking lot, I texted my sister, who I knew was probably in a meeting, in the hopes that she'd be able to give me some tips if and when she was on a break.
We got home; the baby's eye seemed fine after I suggested that he take a nap to make it feel better (yeah, he wasn't buying it either).
I wasn't feeling all that well, so I just decided that we were going to have a quick Wendy's dinner, and then I'd start the baths (a production involving gathering towels, wash cloths, toys, bubble bath, and pajamas; and the 3 year old going to the bathroom beforehand after some unfortunate experiences).
That's when my car died. Right in front of a stoplight. On a busy street. During rush hour.
And when I say, "died", I mean even the hazards weren't working. A nice young police officer offered to push me out of traffic, but neither of us could put the car into neutral (he even tried some fancy stuff with the gear shift, but the car was giving us nothing).
I wasn't prepared. With a 2001 Nissan, I should've coordinated with my sister and brother-in-law to have a plan in case this happened, and I totally didn't do it. After a call with my brother-in-law, I decided to try a place that we've been to a multitude of times. The cop called for me, but the shop was closed, so he moved down to the next place on the list, and they came pretty quickly. Fortunately, the tow truck driver wasn't put off at the fact that the car couldn't get out of park, and he had her up and loaded in no time whatsoever. He gave me their business card and was off.
I waved my thanks to the police officer, who peeled away on what looked like another call, and I started my hike home. I love my Birkenstocks, but the pair I was wearing passed needing new soles about a year ago and are fine for walking to and from the car, and that's about it. After the third or fourth time of their sliding off my feet so my heels hit the ground, I just took them off and walked barefoot.
Forty minutes and 1.86 miles later, I was worried about walking down a part of the road that wasn't wired for pedestrians, and a woman pulled over and asked if I needed a ride.
Her name was Dawn, and she was my saving grace today. She didn't know me, had just moved into her very own house in my direction, and took pity on me. For that, I will always be thankful. She took a leap of faith in pulling over and offering a ride to someone who could've had nefarious plans in mind. For those who pray, please throw in a good word for her (she's looking for a good job, so maybe add that too). For those who don't, please just toss some good vibes her way.
I got home in time to dry off the boys and put them in their pajamas (I cleaned my dirty feet in their bathwater, a quick and easy way to do that so I could put a bandage on the sizable blister growing on the ball of my foot) before I threw them both in my sister's minivan and went to Wendys - because the kids still needed to eat, and I was suddenly starving myself.
The plan was to stay up late and do things like another load of dishes, but the baby went to sleep beside me, and I found myself following suit before 10pm.
So, stressful day but I found bits of it made me appreciate what I have, like my sister's car. And kids big enough to put the little ones in the bathtub. And five good kids who didn't burn down the house while their aunt hiked home barefoot.
