I’ve Got a License to Bitch, and I’m Not Afraid to Use It

Posted On August 12, 2008

I’ve just realized that what this blog has given me essentially is a license to bitch.

I really hope you don’t mind. It’s not that I MEAN to complain so much, or that my life is really THAT BAD.

It’s just that Husband is tired of listening to me, and my sisters are busy either being: 1) a Rock-Star Realtor or 2) a pregnant mom of a 3-year-old with a broken leg. Not that they won’t listen, mind you. It’s just that I don’t feel like burdening them with my trivial, everyday grumbles and sniffles.

So instead I’ll burden you.

Well, here’s the rundown of why I’m feeling a little bit crazy today:
1) Boy #3 is STILL not feeling better from his tonsil/adenoid/ear tube surgery! And as much as I feel sorry for him, I’m starting to feel a bit sorry for myself as well because it is just KICKING MY A$$! Here’s what I have done since his surgery, one week ago today.
Wed–Fri and Mon.: Get up and try to sneak out of the house before he wakes up, usually unsuccessfully, which then requires me to yell for Husband to pull a crying preschooler off me so I can go to work. No guilt there or anything! Then, go to work all day. Come home and sit and rock with Boy #3 the entire evening, getting up only to get him something to eat or drink until he tells me he needs to “west” and we rock again. Then try to get him to sleep for about two hours until he finally gives in and starts snoring in bed with me. Wake up about 5 times throughout the night to comfort him, get him Tylenol, or fetch him some water. Many times, I have to tell him a “bedtime story” before he will go back to sleep. (Try retelling “Little Red Riding Hood” at 3 am and see how you do!)
Sat-Sun: Basically hold and rock Boy #3 the entire morning, afternoon, and evening. Listen to him whimper, which is heartbreaking but also starts to grate on the nerves at the same time after hearing it for 3 hours straight. Get Boy #3 “noodles,” watch him eat one bite, then warm them up again 30 minutes later so he can, again, eat one bite. Continue this throughout the day until we once again, struggle into slumber only to awaken continually throughout the all-too-short night.

So basically, I haven’t had a night of uninterrupted sleep for, well, I don’t even know how long. And, obviously, neither has Boy #3. I’m thinking this is finally starting to take its toll on both of us. He’s extremely crabby and whimpers or screams at the drop of the hat, and me? Well, I guess that describes me too!

A call to the doctor yesterday didn’t help either. I got the whole “Some kids just take longer than others to heal” line, and “Give it another few days.” Yeah. Okay. *Deep breath.* I can do this…

2) Tomorrow we go to the Iowa State Fair so Boy #2 can perform his dance routine with his boys class. When we first planned this, I thought it would be a fun family thing to do. I like the State Fair in small doses. But now, Husband is staying home with Boy #3, so I will be taking the other two boys by myself. I am stressed about the whole “logistics” thing like knowing where to park, how long it will take to park and find the stage, etc. Plus it’s supposed to be 85 degrees and I’ve got to put Boy #2 in a long-sleeved shirt, tie, and jeans. I’m sure he’ll be soooo cooperative!

3) Going to the State Fair tomorrow wouldn’t be quite so bad if we didn’t START SCHOOL THE NEXT DAY! Yes, we start school on AUGUST 14! What’s up with that? (Or, in honor of Boy #3’s new favorite saying: “What the—?” Yes, I’m so proud.) I am soooo not ready, and neither are my kids. I wanted to be all organized and prepared to start off the school year on the right note, but I have a feeling it’s going to be a morning of screaming “GET UP!” 15 times and rushing out the door. Good times, good times.

4) Boy #3’s birthday is Sunday, and we are supposed to be having a birthday party for family at our house. Hmm…let’s see. I literally didn’t even get to eat supper last night, so I’m not sure how the house is going to get clean, let alone food prepared for lunch. Maybe Boy #3 will turn the corner and the last part of the week will be easier. I hope so, otherwise I’m going to be throwing bologna and bread on the table and saying, “Eat up!”

5) Did I mention that I signed up to go scrapbooking on Saturday afternoon/evening/night with Jody from Iowa Geek and Have Kid Will Travel? Yeah, in retrospect, it probably wasn’t the BEST timing to plan such a get-together, but I already paid the fee, so I’m not backing out now… Jody knows me well already, though. She said, “Well, it’s not like you’d get your toilets cleaned anyway!” So true, Jody, so, so true…

6) Oh, and the next day, after the party and all, Boy #3 starts his first day at an all-day preschool. Won’t that be fun? At this point, I can’t imagine him making it through the whole day less than a week from now, but I guess we’ll see how he is this weekend. Can we put the little guy through more trauma/excitement/new routines in a two-week period?? I don’t think so!

7) I just talked to Husband, and he has clearly caught the “crabby bug” from both Boy #3 and me. He gets to be home with the boys all day this week as his school does not start until next week. Between Boy #3 crying, Boy #2 not picking up after himself, and Dog barking incessantly and peeing all over the place, I’m not sure Husband is going to make it to the weekend. I’m trying to be understanding because I know where these crabbies are coming from, even though he just called me on my cell phone and we had this conversation:
Me: “Hello?”
Him: “Where do banana peels go?”

This would be because I accidentally left a banana peel on the table in the living room from last night when I was rocking Boy #3. I had scarfed down the leftover half of Boy #2’s banana after realizing there was no way I was going to get to finish my dinner without Boy #3 screaming and further injuring his throat. I don’t normally make a habit of leaving my food scraps lying around, but I know this wasn’t setting a real good example for Boy #2 when we’re trying to get him to break these living-like-a-vagrant habits of his. So (*breathe in, breathe out*) I will not be crabby back at Husband. He’s trying, and he means well. And we’re all really, really tired.

So, there you go. So glad I’ve got this license to bitch; aren’t you?

Thanks. I feel much better now. You’re the best, Internet Friends, you really are.