Eviction Notice

I remember when I was 7 days past my due date with Austin and I sat down and told him that his lease was up I was officially giving him is eviction notice. He arrived on day 8. Yesterday I declared the same statement to the flu bug that has taken up residence here at our house.

Every time we think it is gone, it turns out it was just hiding under the couch.

Yesterday was one of those frustrating days-

I had plans to get things done, you know- all those things that add up after being stuck in a house for over a week with sick kids. But the flu was making me drag.

Here are some of the highlights

A war with the packing tape dispenser- ok even on a good day I battle this thing but yesterday it was crazy. I am fighting the thing, working up a sweat (you know the kind that feels cold and clammy when you are sick), I can’t breathe through my nose so my mouth is hanging open- and the tape thing is threatening to take me down and circle me multiple times with clear packing tape. I am feeling like I really only have one choice- and that is to whip it across the room and then stomp on it over and over.

After some ibuprofen I start to feel a little better and head to Target. A couple months ago we broke down and bought a minivan. I was hoping that I wouldn’t have to go down that road again but I just couldn’t stand to hear “he touched me!” ONE MORE TIME. I realize how uncool people think minivans are but lets just say that me without my sanity is a lot more uncool.

Anyway, this minivan is a tad bit tricky. Even one of Austin’s friends told me recently, “I can’t figure out your car!” So I know I am not the only one. I know it would probably help to read the owners manual but once I knew how to work the dvd player and where the wireless headphones were located I was ALL SET.

I swear this car likes to play trick on me. Let’s take the doors for instance. I have been in the drop off line at preschool multiple times now trying to get the doors open to let Cole out. I am convinced the car changes the rules on me on a daily basis. Oh it’s Monday so that means that in order to get the door open the car must be in park, the brake on, the radio off, and no one can be wearing the color red. On Tuesday- the door opens without turning the radio off but the windows can’t be down. On Wednesdays the doors don’t open at all.

So I am holding up the line- and you know you don’t hold up the line at preschool. I can just feel the wrath of the mothers in the minivans behind me- I am eating into their precious two hour break- the pressure doesn’t help, I start muttering “stupid stupid Honda- I knew I should have bought a Toyota”

Yesterday it was nice out and as I am driving to Target I look up and think, oh yeah- this car has sunroof. I start to open it and realize there are no buttons. What’s the point of a sunroof if you can’t open it? At each red light I search all over for the sunroof buttons. Can’t find them. I look at my phone- I could call Andy at work and ask him. How bad do I want the sunroof open? He will not be pleased if I pull him out of a meeting to ask how to open my sunroof. No he won’t care, he is used to my stupid questions. But I can imagine him telling people in his office- that was my wife, she couldn’t figure out how to open the sunroof. No, I won’t call. And I eventually find the buttons, as I am pulling into the driveway.

But then it gets better. When feeling bad what’s the best thing to do?

Grab an ipod, a big goofy golden retriever, and hit the trail down by the river. The weather was nice, the spring flowers were popping up everywhere, the trail was perfect. I decide to head home by way of the high school where the baseball team was loading the bus- they smile and pet my dog. I walk on up to the elementary school where the kids that stay after school for “care after” were on the playground. A bunch of them yell “hi Mrs. K- hi Barley!”

I see friends, I see other dog walkers.

I get home and find all of Blake’s lacrosse stuff with ease (a first) and get him fed and out the door for practice. I get homework wrapped up, Cole comes home from a friends house, and only one kid gives me trouble eating his apples with dinner.

I feel better.

All it took was some fresh air.