Hump this!

Today is Wednesday. Hump day. But, really, for most of us, it's far more than a "hump"...it's a mountain of monumental proportions that we climb each and every day until at once, we descend and begin a slow journey to ease. Or at least that sounded pretty damn poetic, yeah?

So, today started in the wee hours for me, when I was awakened by the palm of my daughter's hand on the flat of my back, startling me awake with a gasp. She's been sick, so I half expected a middle of the night awakening (Hey! Parents of infants! It does NOT get easier! HAHA!). But what I didn't expect was for her to stand next to my bed and DEMAND that I make her sore throat better, right now. Hmm. Sometimes I fancy myself a miracle worker, but on matters of tonsils and swollen glands, I have no power. Sent her back to bed, then fired up my laptop to read about symptoms of mono. Yep. All there. Roused myself out of bed to take her temperature. No fever. She (blessedly, finally!) went back to sleep. Me? I spent the better part of an hour awake.

Woke up again at 6 to the alarm. Let me clarify. To my HUSBAND'S alarm. If it were my alarm, it would be set to a soft, easy-listening station at a very low volume - just enough to rouse me gently. But since it's my husband's alarm it's set to a staticky, AM channel where over-testosteroned (is that a word?) men shout about fishing and car parts. Bleh. Took a quick shower because I had to take my other daughter to school (since her sister, aka, her ride, was out of commission). While getting dressed, I experienced a temporary, but minor wardrobe crisis (otherwise known as "IhateallmyclothesandIneednewonesandIhavenothingtowear") which made me late. Ah well. She's a TA first period.

I drove back home to finish getting ready (makeup!) and see son off to school, and wait till 8 to call the doctor. Made appointment for sick daughter for after I got off work. Worked at my part-time job for exactly four hours then raced home to find sick daughter waiting, as instructed, outside to hop in the car for the tightly-timed doctor appointment. She was wearing a t-shirt cut off a la Flashdance, ratty pajama bottoms and slippers. Alabaster skin, lank hair and lips tinged orange from too many popsicles. Lovely.

Arrived at doctor's office in time to.....wait. Got a mono test (daughter, not me!). Negative - yay! Doctor commenced exam then kicked me out of the room so she could talk to teen daughter about drugs, smoking and sex. Strep test negative - what to do? With a performance looming tomorrow night, Doctor decided on a single dose of penicillin. Sounded good to me! Explained to my sick daughter that shots go right in the keester. WHAT?

Dropped sick daughter with sore butt back off at home. Had just enough time to pee before I dashed out again to meet a friend. Dropped book off at library beforehand. Met friend for frozen yogurt. Talked an hour and a half. Went to Staples to get printer ink. Had long discussion with son over phone as to which ink was correct for the printer, while he asked me if I planned to attend his band practice tonight? I said, why, when my husband goes every time and videotapes it to boot? Do I really have to watch him practice? Can't I just show up to performances and clap? Got a healthy dose of guilt trip.

Picked up other teen daughter after rehearsal who begged me to get her teriyaki for dinner. I said not in the budget. She pouted, then proceeded to tell me how hungry she was on the way home while I reminded her that I had not yet BEEN home today and would need to fix something for dinner when I arrived there. She stated that I should have a dinner ready at all times when she arrived home and that I needed to "plan better". (She later backtracked and said she was kidding, but how do we really know for sure?). More guilt trip. Consolation prize - she got junky food for dinner - chicken tenders and curly fries from the freezer and a side of edamame. Oh, and that band practice? She reminded me I needed to go to one to "be supportive". BE SUPPORTIVE? I'm their freakin' cheerleader every single day and he wouldn't BE in band practice if I wasn't supportive.

It's not that I don't want to "be there". It's just that when my feet haven't touched the carpet in my house all day, and, let's face it, my fingers touched the keyboard so I can read, write and Facebook with abandon on my laptop, I just don't have a lot left in me. I've spent countless hours at ballet practices, baseball games, in the stinky, sweaty gymnastics gym.......I shouldn't have to feel bad about not making it to band practice when my son has a parent representative there every time. Sheesh!

And I still have to clean the kitchen, make lunches, do the dishes, fold laundry....and I get to wake up tomorrow and do it all over again! But it's Hump Day and it's all downhill from here right? Plus, the sun is shining, so all is forgiven. Happy Wednesday!