7-12 soccer, friends and a bleach mishap

I woke up at 7:00 and spent half an hour convincing myself to get out of bed.  I could hear Z’s grunting and wiggling as he vacillating between sleep and wakefulness.  A slept soundly in the bed next to me, having claimed Daddy’s spot when he left for the airport at 3 am.  I vaguely remember telling him goodbye.  Vaguely.  Finally I got up and began the morning routine.

We finally left the house and I dropped the girls off at soccer camp only five minutes late.  I hate being late.  Even with the new baby we are usually on time, often even early.  Mornings are the exception.  Today at least I could blame it on the flat tire.  Yesterday’s slow leak was a complete sitting-on-the-rim-flat this morning.  Fortunately Husband saw it and left the air compressor out and ready for me.  So I cancelled my nail appointment (my somewhat shallow but strangely satisfying indulgence) in favor of getting the tire fixed.

The tire shop reported a three hour wait—the longest I’ve ever been told.  Fortunately they gave me a loaner car. At this point I concocted a plot where my husband has sneakily manipulated my flat tire so I would spend the day driving a mini van instead of my glorious Honda Pilot. He predicts love at first sight.  I’m onto you buddy.  I love my Pilot.  I will not relinquish my Pilot for a dumb ol van.  I didn’t like it.  Ok, I liked it a little.  Don’t tell him.

I ran errands, picked up kids, ran more errands, killed time in the grocery store next to the tire shop, found out my car still wasn’t ready and took the kids over to school lunch.  We love school lunch.  The kids get lots of options and plenty of food and all of us get to see friends.  Today was no exception.  I happily chatted with several friends as families came and went much faster than E who insists on turning every single chip into seven bites.  The big girls were done in a fraction of the time and played on the playground with friends.

Eventually we left to visit a neighbor friend.  The kids played happily downstairs, me and my playmate mom sat upstairs chatting.  Finally we picked up my car and went to the gym where I had a practice for the new materials the instructors are presenting starting next week.  I haven’t gone back to teaching yet, mostly I was excited to see my work friends and get in a good work out.  I nervously left Z in daycare for the first time.  Ive been holding off until Z had more of his shots but I knew daycare would be empty because it wasn’t a regular class time.  He of course, did great.

Back at home I started dinner and then hurried to get in a phone call before end of business while Z fussed.  It was frustrating and took longer than expected but success!  Meanwhile the girls had been busy and tackled today’s assigned chore—cleaning the bathrooms.  (“Toilet Tuesday”.  It’s also “take a trip Tuesday” but since we were gone literally all day, I think we sufficiently satisfied that.)  My sweet, sweet girls cleaned the bathrooms all by themselves as a surprise for me.  With bleach.  While wearing brand new clothes.  Warily they came to confess.  Already frustrated by the obnoxious phone tree I had suffered through, I covered my face and held my breath.  L, so sensitive and misinterpreting my reaction, burst into tears.  So instead I hugged them and praised their kind action.  Then stripped them down and let them finish the job in their bathrobes.  A’s shirt is still wearable, only a few bleached spots that almost blend in.  L’s shirt is ruined.  I gushed about what a good job they did and offered to pay half  towards a replacement shirt.  I told Husband who was so impressed with them, he told L he will pay her half.  I have such good kids.  And such an amazing husband.

We ate dinner, did a quick clean up and the girls got on their jammies.  Then they settled in to watch a movie we redboxed (they are still fascinated by the magic of redbox) while I met with my book club downstairs.  The book this month was Funny in Farsi, it was casual and lighthearted, quick and easy to read.  I didn’t love it, finding the writing style disjointed and distracting, but admired certain themes and loved chatting with friends about favorite parts.

Just before 10:00, I hurriedly tucked the kids into bed, skipping our usual chapter book and scripture time in favor of much-needed sleep for tomorrow.  I puttered around, unwinding for the day.  I debated on my new resolve to journal more often or watch House.  And eventually did a little of both.

My happy today was getting so much time to visit with lots of friends.  I crave that social, adult interaction and was blessed with an abundance of it today. 

My sad is that it did not include my smokin hot husband.