Crazy Week

It was a week that left me fulfilled, exhausted and guilty all at the same time. Who knew when the week started that I would only see my husband and son in brief snippets of time.

MONDAY... swim lessons for Megan and Cam. I did get to play with Cam in the pool, but afterwards got caught up playing with Megan and barely registered when David packed it up and headed home with Cam. I did get home in time to visit with them for about 45 minutes before it was time for Cam to head to bed.

TUESDAY... I seized this rare free evening as a chance to participate in the gymnastics world. I headed to a local high school for a high school gymnastics clinic. A chance to connect with the gymnasts, and earn myself a few credits as well. (I need credits in order to remain an active gymnastics judge) I did get home by about 7:15p, but Cam was grouchy and David put him to bed around 8p.

WEDNESDAY... Another free evening! I suggested to David we take both kids to Kings Island. It was a wonderfully cool day, Megan was excited to ride some of the smaller rides with Cam, and everything would have been perfect. But Cam was just not in the mood, and David and he headed home after we'd been there only an hour. Cam and Megan did get to ride one set of cars together, but Cam would not let me put him in the other kind, and clung to me and cried. After they left, it occurred to me that I may not have another chance all summer to hang out with Megan at KI. So we stayed until closing (10p) We had a nice time, but both boys had been in bed for a while when we finally got home.

THURSDAY... Megan's "dress rehearsal" for her dance recital. I have to say.... what a cluster$%##! First they told us: "Get with your group." Okay, where is our group? "We don't know, can you look for them." WTF? Couldn't you take a minute to label the aisles with the group names? Megan's class was #10 out of 28 (and several groups were combined with other classes... I'm sure there were more than 300 kids there!) Her dance was "Supercalafragalistic." We were informed by "the director" that no one from our group had stepped forward as a parent volunteer. They suggested that perhaps if none of us could do it we could hire a "babysitter" for our children. Huh?? We pay you over $40/month, $50 for the recital costume, plus $12 to get into the recital (and this includes all children 3& over: they wanted my mom to pay a total of $36 to get in with my two nephews! David told her "I hope you told them to shove it up their a$$." She didn't do that, but she did turn around and go home) All that, and now you expect us to "hire a babysitter"???

In any case, Megan and I were at her dress rehearsal until after 7p. Luckily, she agreed to come home without watching dances #11-#27.... We did get home by 7:15p, but I spent the evening getting her ready for bed. I do think I got to say hello to my boys, but not much more...

FRIDAY ... Megan and I got a last-minute invitation to a friend's party. I picked up both kids and brought them home. Megan stayed in the car while I handed Cam off to David and headed back out (with Cam's cries of "Mommy" haunting my exit...) The party was Scooby-Doo, and Megan loves Scooby, but she knew no children but the birthday girl. I was proud of her as she got out there and played on the playset and participated in the "Scooby Mystery" game. But the birthday girl was a little overwhelmed and wouldn't speak to Megan at all. At least she did wave at her. At the same party last year, she told Megan "I'm playing with my friend" and turned her back on her. It broke my heart.

Even though David and Cam did not attend the party with us, I somehow ended up with a child on my lap for the majority of the time. There was a mother there with 3 children (almost 5, almost 3, almost 1), and when her 3 year-old wanted a push on the swings, I ended up with the 10-month-old. No stranger anxiety affecting this kid, she was happy to stay with me the rest of the night.

We got home after 8p, and I think I did at least get to kiss the boys goodnight...

SATURDAY ... I did get to see Cam all day. But David works on Saturdays. I got to spend the evening with both of them. But I was racked with guilt because Cam was sleeping during Megan's recital and I didn't go. It didn't occur to me until 2p (the start time) that I could have gotten the neighbor girl to sit while I ran to the recital. Hopefully my failure to appear will not be material for Megan's future psychiatric counseling...

SUNDAY ... The fact that I took Megan to her cousin's birthday "event" (an all-day, 40-mile excursion) was worsened by the fact that David did not process the information when I told him earlier in the week. I think he was half-asleep, so I'm at least partly to blame. He did not want to drag Cam along on this trip, and I didn't really blame him. Cam barely naps during the week at daycare, so weekends are centered around those 2 naps. When I mentioned it on Friday, after the week we'd already had, he wasn't particularly pleased. More guilt when I got home Friday night right at 7p and sat in front of the TV, glued to the women's gymnastics' Olympic trials.

Phew... hopefully this week is slightly less hectic. But I still have to order Megan's cake, get her fitted for a flower girl's dress, swim lessons again, festival at the daycare, 3 doctor's visits.... *sigh*

I'm tired