The best laid plans

Oh, the pressure! I thought surely I would be writing here all the time because I have been thinking of so many good topics, but, alas, life intervenes, as always. However, that's not the only reason for the title...read on.

I really have good intentions. Seriously. Once I was finished at my "day job" I was going to have all this extra time to make dinner, plan dinners, clean the house thoroughly, organize, play more with the kids...you know where this is going, right?...work on Chip's resume, sort through Sean's toys that he never plays with, get some family photos taken, plant a garden, blah, blah, blah. Of course I had no illusions that it would happen quickly, but I thought I might get to at least ONE of those things this week.

Nope. Not one. I DID manage to get 2 loads of laundry done (1/2 of the second load was filled with items from the first load that still had baby food stains after the first washing, so maybe I should only count that as 1 1/2 loads) and the dishwasher run (after 3 days of dishes piled up there really wasn't a choice so I listened to Sophia screaming for my attention the whole time I was loading). I think I even did make dinner one night. Ok, so it was a meal from one of those make-ahead places, and Chip cooked the meat on the grill (and put the veggies in the microwave), but I did think ahead far enough that we only had to defrost the meat in the microwave for 2 minutes instead of 5, and I did assemble my fajita myself (ok, so it was the second helping...). Yes, that is my life. I don't exaggerate. And it's probably worse than that, but I don't dare admit the other stuff here.

I've had a sore throat most of the week, with a fever the first couple days, and Sophia's teething and more ornery than usual (she's really a happy baby most of the time - our favorite is when she smiles through her tears). Is that an excuse? I have more if you want them...but I digress. Back to waylaid plans:

Chip planned on Wednesday night (when I was feeling horrible) to take Sean to McDonald's for supper (about a mile away) and bring me home a BK meal ( because Sean wanted the toy from McD's AND BK - Ninja Turtles and SpongeBob - who can decide between those?!? ) and a couple of Gatorades from the store (nearly next door to McDonald's) and then hurry home to needy me. Now, granted, I'm not 100% sure he really WANTED to hurry back, but here's how the trip went:

Stop at movie store on way to McE D's because Sean didn't get to go to the one with the playplace (nice placation strategy), buy 2 1/2 off DVDs, go to McE D's, think the charge for the movies was a bit more than it should be, buy Nuggets, "Sean, eat, please", look at receipt, "Sean, please take a bite", yep they definitely forgot to take 1/2 off the movies, "SEAN, we need to eat so we can go to the store and get home to Mom", give up and pack up the uneaten nuggets, go back to movie store for refund, go to grocery store, hmm...didn't we need bread? and squeeze sour candy? and, oh look, Gatorade is on sale - let's get 20 (we do love Gatorade), "Sean, why don't you pick a couple of flavors?", look at flyer for other good sales, call from mom - "did you buy me something to eat yet? - No? Forget that stop. WHY?!? Because I already ate. I was hungry" (an hour and 1/2 had gone by), arrive home 15 minutes later.

Today, Jessica offered to stay and babysit so we could have a little adult time. Of course we packed up and off we went to dinner and the hot tub place! So...which car should we take? How about mine (says Chip) since you haven't gotten to ride in the [new-to-us] Saturn much yet? Sounds good! We decide not to go to a sit-down, wait-on-you kind of restaurant so we can get to the hot tub place before the rush. We eat a Qdoba (yum). We get in the car. Chip turns the key. Nothing. Again, he turns the key. A faint click. Nothing. Hmmm. "I thought it was over this problem (I, of course, had forgotten that he mentioned getting a jump from a co-worker earlier in the week). Well, last time I gave it a few minutes and then it started right up." Ok. We go browsing at Radio Shack next door (Really good deals on SD, XD, and Memory Plus something-or-other until 4/21 if any of you are in the market!). Now it's 7:15 (tub time is 7:30). We go back to the car. Turn the key. Nothing. Not even a click this time! Being the resourceful MacGuyvers we are, though, I offer Chip my travel toothbrush (oh, I need to remember to put that on my shopping list!), and I go back into Qdoba to buy a Coke (nice corrosion cleaner-offer). Chip goes to Radio Shack and purchases a tiny socket set to tighten the hex bolt. Socket set: 1 too small, 1 too big - no middle ground. Search for receipt that's already gone. Send me back to Radio Shack to buy pliers. Nice man lets me bring out 2 to Chip to choose (nice man=knows I've been sent in to do a man's job; how many women buy tools?!). I go back in, make exchange. I come out, and car is running. Hallelujah! Call tub place. They'll let us move our reservation time to 8, but it leaves us no time to return the pliers. That will be our next trip, when we go buy a new car battery, I guess.

All of this is written in good humor, but just imagine a life chock full of these events. You have to laugh or you cry. We're beyond crying now, and back to laughter. Good thing. Because...while Wellbutrin and Cymbalta and Celexa are nice, laughter is STILL the best medicine. We love because we can laugh. And because there's always a hot tub at the end of the story! :)