Yesterday was supposed to be a good day. Really, it was. First of all, I had my check and forms all ready to turn in so that the trio can go to preschool next year TWO days a week (thanks to a multiples discount we can get!) Also, you may have heard, Denny's was giving away free Grand Slam Breakfasts. So I had it all planned out. I was going to drop Alyssa off at preschool, and then take Lauren, Drew and Jack to meet my mom at a Denny's by her house. I thought it would be a great way to break up the winter monotony, and celebrate that Lauren and Drew don't seem to have any food allergies anymore and Jack can at least eat wheat now!
Enter snowstorm. On the way to take Alyssa to preschool (and, of course, we were running really late), we almost slid off road during what is normally a 3 minute drive. So that made Denny's a no go, and I was trying to convince myself that it was better not to eat all those calories anyway.
So then we got home, and as the kids were unloading from the van, I walked out to the mailbox to mail yet another letter about the accident I was in (back in November '07). I think a little angel whispered in my ear, "Keep your keys with you just in case." Yet, even after making this conscious decision - because I have just about seen it all from these kids and don't trust them a bit - I was still surprised at what happened next. Just as I was the farthest from the garage that I was going to get, down went the garage door. I felt like I was moving in slow motion to get back to the door, and by the time I got there, the door was all the way down. Did I mention that there was a bad snowstorm going on at this time? So I kept banging on the door saying, "Hit the button!!!" "Open the door!" I didn't even know who had locked me out (there is power in numbers!), so I couldn't even call a name. I knew I had the keys with me, so I didn't panic too much. But let's just say my Dad calls our house Ft. Knox for a reason - it is a pain to open the front door. But after a few minutes out in the snowy cold, someone had mercy on me and hit the button and opened the door. I didn't think any of my neighbors saw me, but I'm sure they were amused if they did. It seems to be yet another one of those sitcom moments that I seem to find myself in a lot lately. Sometimes I feel badly for our neighbors, because we haven't exactly done the best job of keeping up the house the last few years. But yesterday, I thought at least getting to laugh at us like that makes up for it!
So after that, we all went back in the house and went about our way. I set about cleaning up the breakfast mess, with a slight modification. The kitchen sink was clogged, so I had to rinse the breakfast dishes in the bathroom sink and I used wipes instead of the more environmentally friendly way of scrubbing down the kitchen table. But, at least I knew the plumber was coming after lunch.
Around 11am (an hour before I have to pick up Alyssa at preschool), Lauren lets me know that she has to use the facilities. She is doing so well with the potty training that I usually just let her in and then come back and check on her in a couple of minutes. Well, a couple of minutes later, she runs out to me and says, "Come see what happened." I thought that was a little odd as I had already heard the evidence being flushed away, but I knew I better check it out. She pointed to the toilet, and I thought said, "Look, it's blue." I thought that was strange, as all I saw was clear water. So I just kind of nodded my head. Then she got a little more emphatic and said, "No, it's blue." At least that's what I thought she said. I just played along and said something about the water. Then she got more frustrated and practically stuck her head in it trying to show me something. At this point, I noticed a toy on the counter that I hadn't noticed her bring in to the bathroom. I feared the worst. So I took a step back and sure enough, there was a screw from the "Build and Play" toy that she brought in there. She wasn't saying blue, she was saying screw!
Up until this point, I thought I did a pretty good job of handling all the curve balls and stress that had been thrown my way. But dealing with toilets like that completely grosses me out. I have cleaned up all kinds of messes since becoming a parent, but I don't do any kind of work with toilets (or clogs for that matter). Then I think I panicked a little bit. I was trying to think of a way to retrieve the screw using disposable tools, but I was drawing a complete blank. I think by then I also needed some adult conversation, too. Since Schlep was in class, I couldn't call him. So I decided to see if my old labmate would pick up the phone; he was always good with problem solving and engineering dilemmas. Luckily, he answered and helped me accept that I was just going to have to use a kitchen utensil that I could "take one for the team". Luckily, there was a pair of tongs in the drawer that were rusting and I had a dishwashing glove. So while I had some moral support on the phone, I plucked out the screw and threw away the sacrificial glove and tongs. Mission accomplished. (That was lucky for Schlep, as Plan B was to close off the bathroom until he got home to do the retrieving.)
I would also like to stop at this time and thank my friends on Facebook who offered me support and suggestions. I thought using a bread bag was an especially good idea. But best of all, it was good to know that someone was out there who cared. Thank you. Thank you very much!
At this point, I was thinking about how the day wasn't even halfway over and I wasn't sure if I could take whatever else it might bring. My imagination was running wild with what the plumber might find in the kitchen sink. At least I was too busy to dwell on it for very long.
I went to pick up Alyssa from preschool, and a friend offered to watch the kids in the van so I didn't have to unload them. That is such a huge hassle, especially on days with snowstorms, so I thought to myself that things were starting to look up. There was only one problem - I had let one of the other kids sit in Alyssa's carseat. She lost it! We had a lovely drive home. Sounds emerged from her "new" carseat that resembled an animal with a paw caught in a trap and provided the entertainment for the entire ride home.
Next, it was time to fix lunch and I really had it in for the environment and resorted to paper plates. It was really nice to have such a simple clean up! We finished just in time for the plumber to arrive while I was getting the kiddos ready for naptime. Well, 3 hours and $178 later, the sink was fixed. It turns out that the idiots who installed the pipes in the basement didn't brace them correctly, and they had a nice curve in them instead of being straight. So that is fixed now, too, and hopefully, our pipes won't get gunked up again. I'm not holding my breath, though.
During this time, I also called to check on the status of our the loan to refinance our house. I have heard of several stories where it has fallen through, because the appraisal came back too low. We had expected to hear something earlier, so I thought it might be bad news. At this point I figured I might as well get it all out of the way today. Well, it turns out that our appraisal came out great - even higher than expected. We should know in the next couple of days if everything went through, and then we can start getting estimates on getting our basement done. Yeah! Talk about my day taking a turn for the better.
So after that, things went pretty smoothly. We had fun playing golf on the Wii with the kiddos. It is hilarious to see how they swing. Or at least try to swing. We have to work our on putting a lot, though (especially before Uncle Mo comes for a visit). I am beginning to think the kids keep overshooting the hole on purpose, so they can get another turn, though.
The day ended well, especially when my husband gave me the night off. When I got home he had even vacuumed and mopped the floor! What a man! It just goes to show you that no matter how badly your day is going, it can always end well. And if not, you always get a fresh start to try it again tomorrow.
God bless,
Amanda
http://four-and-no-more.blogspot.com/
