Now What?

I get another day at home.  This time?    Alone!

Oh DON'T worry- I'm not going to be mixing any rhymes with blogs this afternoon

The girls and boy of my life have ventured out in a big black Ford F350 Diesel Crew Cab to South Carolina. Yep.  That's right world.  Hell is getting a little chilly.  Watch out.   My man took a road trip with our 3 darling little chitlens.    Eh?  IT's just about an hour and half long road trip- but HEY!- that's something to get pumped up about.

Me.  Home.  Alone.  Him.  Driving.  With GIRLS.  By himself.  

Hmmmm.  I have a vision of him (barely) making it in the door before he passes out in a heap of gratitude for how AWESOME I am for doing these trivial things every.  single.  day.  'Cept I get to do them while I'm like- cleaning, and cooking, and dreaming about silly things like: and empty laundry room and a flat, toned up stretch mark less belly.

I have a vision of him getting the girls put in bed, and then sitting down beside me on our couch, and bursting into tears.  Bear with me- this is my imagination at it's best;

 "Amber.  I had no idea.  I just had no clue.  You mean, every time you leave the house you go through this?  (hiccup.  snot flowing)  Allll those times I asked you to load the van up and meet me somewhere for a forgotten wallet, chain saw, or leaf blower.  And I never real(hiccup)ized how all together challenging it is to wrangle them here and there- ALoooooooNe (sob. sob.  sniffle. sniffle.)  

Oh!!!  I've been soooo insensitive!!  Here you are- taking care of our house.  Our family.  Going here and there with our girls day in, and day out.  All. by. YOURSELF!!  Oh honey.  I understand now why you want a newer car to drive around.  That van is certainly NOT good enough anymore, is it?  What WOULD you do if it broke down?.  i don't know.  OH!!!!  (sob.  whaaaa. booo hoooo.)  

I don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't packed the sippy cups, the cereal, the pacifier, the hats and gloves and scarves (it was sooo cold in S.C.)  (sob.  SOB!)  All I did was grab their coats, and stick 'em in their seats.  I didn't KNOW they needed all that stuff for an afternoon away from home."

     Really, though!!!  Really!  What is likely to happen is this scenario:

(door opens- in walks my hunk of burnin' love)

A: Hey.  You have fun?

J: Yep!  The girls were great. No issues. They were super sweet.  Slept on the way there.  Slept on the way home.......  I don't know why you packed all that stuff, either- I mean? they ate it and drank it and used it- but they'd have been FINE with out it.  Can you go get it outta the truck, now?

A: (chit chat) What'd they eat for lunch?  (Winter time.  Gotta be hardcore on the healthy eating)

J:  French fries and chicken nuggets with chocolate milk and ice cream......  What??!!  That's healthy, right?  Ya- I don't know why you get stressed out driving the girls around- it's easy.  Psh.  You just need t know how to be like me.

That'd be my luck. I hope for that- for HIS sake- because it'd be sweet if they had an incredibly easy going perfectly perfect trip (there and back).  Part of me is hoping that, in SPITE of how easy and super safe his trip is going to be- he'll get a sense of the overwelming-ness that goes with the territory in singular parenting in the day to day.

Geesh.  How'd I get so sidetracked?  Just typing typing typing- no interuptions.  Interesting. This is what happens when I get to finish a thought-- stay focused on one thing?  Not sure if I like this or not.  We'll see.

So?  NOW WHAT?  What will I do today?

• I could mack out our house with sparkley clean-ness; pick up where I left off on Wednesdays failed adventure to make our house 'shine' with 'aaaaaaaah'.  Ugh.  Cleaning.  Again.  Sounds SO.......  blah.

• I could pack the van full of the mounds of clothes that are neatly color separated in our laundry room/office.   Maybe make it a Get Er Done laundry mat afternoon? (although- we do have a perfectly healthy washer and dryer)     There's just something about being in a place designated for one thing- and one thing only- LAUNDRY WASHING.    It MUST be my ADD?  I secretly wish I could go once a week to this place of dryer sheet smells and false humiDity.  I HATE going with 10 loads of laundry to wash- but love the feeling of solitude as I try to hide behind a table during the folding of my undergarments. And everyone tries to avoid eye contact.  Nobody really wants to chat it up at the L.M.   Suits me.  I like the silence.  I like getting the chance to work through my thoughts (in complete sentences).    My new book shall be called "I Can Only Hear God If I'm @ The Laundry Mat."                                                       all rights reserved. TM. Copyright...  or whatever.  (kidding)   

Seriously though- it is days like today that I think "WOW!!  Life is sweet."     

(Perspective my dear Watson.  Perspective.)

I wrote a little song that describes how I'm feeling about today's possibilities:

 

 I can clean freely now the family's gone....  

  I can see all dirt piles in my way

Gone are the 2 year olds that had me down

It's gonna be a bright- bright - bright

Bright House Cleaning Day (oh ya ya ya)

Oh YES I can clean it now the fam is gone

All of the dust bunnies have disappeared

Here is the silence I've been waiting for

It's gonna be a bright- bright-bright

Bright house Cleaning Day

Look all around there's nothing but clean floors

Look straight ahead- there's nothing but Clean Floor- orrrrrrrrrrr- orrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr- orrrrrrrrss!

I can work freely now the fam is gone

I can get all the laundry done today!

Here is the Tide that I've been praying for

It's gonna be a bright- bright BRIGHT-

Bright House Cleaning Day

 *takes a bow*  Thank You.  Thank You.  I'll be here all day.  Alone.