A Week In The Life: Wednesday

This is one of those days where I marvel at how quickly things can turn.  At the beginning of the day, my work life felt perfectly in control maybe even a tad slow.  Our at home life was flowing along with just a tiny bit of tension about not quite being prepared for the upcoming visits.  I decided to take Monday off of work as well as Friday as things were well in hand and I wanted to spend time with my siblings.  I spent the pre-MDO hour playing and enjoying the nifty remote my FIL got us for Christmas to use with our camera.  B LOVED it.  We took dozens of pictures all of some combination of B, Maggie and I sitting on his bed.  For once, no blackberry checking, no rushing madly to pack bags.  Just a pretty chill morning with some new fun for spice.

We head off to drop offs on time even and all goes well. B takes some pictures at his school, but is too shy to take one with Ms. Vhonda so we decide to wait on that and off to work I go.  Most of the day is calm and I work through some contract review.  Then, suddenly. you can feel the spin begin.  Adobe crashes losing all the comments I'd made on the first seven pages of a thirteen page agreement. Next up, my weekly Board Prep meeting. It quickly becomes clear that I have WAY more to do to prepare for next Tuesday's prep meeting than I can realistically do in the one day of work I have remaining before then.  One big, time sensitive piece needs some serious thinking not to mention all the little pieces and all the non-Board work.  The call is running long and I really need to get in the car, but am struggling to get out without giving the meeting or my boss short shrift.

The stress is here, for real.

I am slightly late picking up M, which takes longer than it should as I need a picture with Ms. Courtney and to write a check as she is staying home until Tuesday.  We're then late to pick up B who still doesn't want to take a picture with Ms. Vhonda despite loving her and his class. I don't force it and take a picture of her with his buddy Raya instead.  B is a little droopy and M strangely isn't sleepy even though it is definitely naptime. Stress.

No one feels like taking their nap despite much trying with M. (B took his mini-nap at school).  I attempt to work while M is supposed to be putting herself to sleep.  Trying to think during screaming just about tips me over the edge.  The thing that needs to be done to bring the stress and work whirl back to calm is just that - working, but that apparently isn't going to happen just now.  So, I try to set it aside, pick up M, Tracie drops by briefly while I listen to a group call, M goes up and down again, I call Brent to vent, snuggle with B, talk to Audra, sneak peaks at my laptop and eventually at 4pm (M's back-up naptime) we try again.  She does nap a bit, I make a call and work a little, but she wakes up about 15 minutes later for some snuggles and Dora before trying again.  By this time, B needs to play and have some attention while my mind is still whirling in the background.  I just step away and promise myself I'll do some this evening.

Brent comes home and M wakes shortly thereafter.  We do the grocery shopping for the shower (so less tension there) and come home to feed an apparently starving M. I don't think I've ever seen her eat so much.  Brent teases here that we only have a pound of ham as she eats all her ham bits and lots of cantaloupe too, not to mention the cereal she ate while we shopped.

Finally, the wind down to bedtime.  It turns out B isn't feeling well. He needs some OJ, Meds, and snuggles, but everyone makes it to bed on time.  I even read them a kids book in French.  I finally can sit, focus and pare back the list to manageable again.  Still, I know I have way too much to do tomorrow and I so want to do a good job.... at everything.  My prayer for tonight is calm.  I want to relish this time with my sister, be a good mom and a good employee.  Just calm, clear thoughts as what does the stressing accomplish anyway?  Here's to a great tomorrow!

(Note: The below is a collage of just FEW of the pictures from our two camera remote shoots today. So much fun!)