Back To School & The Negotiator

I'm So Glad This Day Is Over!

6:30: Get up and put on work out clothes...this way I know it will happen.

6:40: Check email for a specific response and YES! It is confirmed I have child care coverage for Zach and Ethan. I'M GOING TO ITALY WITH CHRIS NEXT MONTH WHEN HE ACCEPTS HIS AWARD!

6:50: Call USA to tell Marjory to book her tickets to join me in Italy.

6:55: Ethan calls me from the surgery center in DHA to tell me HE WILL NOT have surgery today.

6:57: Convince Ethan that getting tubes in his ears today is worth at least 3 chocolate eggs.

6:59: Chris informs me that chocolate eggs are not available at our commissary right now....oops!

7:00: Wake up Zach, for his first day of school, who is sleeping on a blow up mattress in the living room because Graham barfed all over Zach's room, bed, and Lego bin just as he was going to bed the night before.

7:15: Put clean dishes away, eat, help Z and G get teeth brush, think to self G doesn't look so good.

7:30: Zach is rushing me out the door because he doesn't want to be late. He so doesn't want to wait for me to walk him to school but does let me snap this....

and this as we get there just in time for his class to head in for another wonderful year of learning.

7:35: Phone rings as I'm walking in. Chris informs me that Ethan did agree to have surgery if he got the chocolate eggs, ice cream after the surgery as the nurse promised, and gets to ride the rides at the mall. I remind Chris that because of Ramadan the rides are not open until 8pm in the evening....oops!
7:40: Forget dirty kitchen and start work out.
8:05: Phone rings Chris calls to remind me, (he actually never told me) that he has a field job tonight so when he gets home he will nap and leave.
8:10: Continue Work Out
8:12: Mysterious Smell
8:13: Confirm that the smell is indeed explosive and implosive diarrhea trialed around my living and dinning room.....so glad for tile!
8:14: Stop work out and bathe Graham and clean up poop trail.
8:20: Decide G is way too sick to continue with day as planned.
8:25: Call school and cancel after school childcare obligations.
8:30: Shower
8:50: Decide I won't be back from the clinic in time for Z's lunch so I call school and leave message for Zach to go to a friends.
9:00: Arrive at Clinic
9:15: Read scriptures on iPhone....just feel like it's going to be one of those days and if I don't do it now it won't happen.
11:00: Graham perks up after several doses of pedialyte.
11:10: Head to commissary for crackers, butter, carpet shampoo, and apple juice to disguise the pedialyte taste.
11:30: Down some lunch before I pass out while G nibbles on crackers.
11:35: Vacuum up baking soda and deep clean the carpet in Zach's bedroom.
11:45: Zach walks in for lunch.....apparently didn't get the message to go elsewhere.
11:50: Call friend to let them know Z and I are both home and Graham is doing better.
11:55: Make Z lunch.....What is that smell?
12:00: Change and bathe Graham again and prepare stool sample to take back to the lab.
12:25: Sit down with Graham who just wants to cuddle.
12:30: Send Z back to school.
12:32: Resend Z back to school wearing socks and tennis shoes for PE
12:55: Ethan and Chris arrive home and inform me the house smells of barf and poop.
1:00: Put a sleeping Graham down.
1:05: Ethan says he wants to go on a bike ride despite the fact it 110 degrees outside and go to the library.
1:07: Tell him he can go with me to return our friends car and he can ride his bike home.
1:25: Confirm with Chris that his field job is still on.
1:30: Ethan and I head to the lab to drop off sample.
1:45: Ethan and I return home, leave the car and walk to the library.
2:15: Arrive home, sit down and try to stay awake while reading to Ethan.
2:50: Zach arrives home and we go through new school paperwork and notes from teacher.
3:00: Turn on the Wii, make popcorn, fill out school paper work, clean up kitchen...finally, do another load of poopy laundry, and referee the Wii playing.
4:00: Get Graham up and remind the boys yet again that their hour of Wii time is up.
4:15: Send the boys out to find some neighbors to play with.
4:30: Chris emerges preparing to leave for his night job.
4:35: Chris gets a text not to come just yet.
4:45: Boys show up with new neighbors and their mom in back yard for some trampoline time.
4:47: Everyone wants Popsicles.
4:50: Ethan plays Popsicle swords with a friend as the mother looks on disgusted that germs are swapping between our virus infested family and her happy and healthy sons.
5:00: Feel myself going weak in need of food.
5:05: Scrounge for leftovers and start something for the boys.
5:20: Call Chris back inside because food is on the stove and Graham once again is in need of a diaper change.
5:40: Tell boys to wash hands for dinner
5:45: Ethan decides he prefers the smell of pickle juice over the barf in the house and breaks a jar of pickles on the kitchen floor and cuts open his toe on a piece of glass.
5:46: I take Ethan to the bathroom leaving Chris holding Graham in the middle of a bloody pickle mess.
5:50: Assess and dress the wound and THANKFULLY it does not need stitches.
5:51: Chris gets a call that the job is ready and they need him to come.
6:00: While G is safely in bed and the boys tucking into their meal Chris sticks around a few minutes to help with the mess.
6:05: Screams from E that Z bothered him yet again, send Z to time out, change bandage that has already soaked through.
6:15: Chris leaves.
6:25: Mother in law calls to say she loves us and see how we are.
6:45: Referee another disagreement between the boys.
6:50: Clean up the kitchen dinner mess.
7:00: Bandage cut on Zach's foot from stray piece of glass.
7:10: Wipe another bum.
7:15: Help Zach with School Album while Ethan dictates a note he wants me to write to his friend.
7:30: Commence Bed Time Routine Chaos
7:35: Answer another phone call.
7:50: Remember ear drop medication, hold G who just wants his mom during family scripts.
7:55: Ethan informs us he did NOT SEE FAIRIES like the anesthesiologist said he would.
8:00: Put G in bed and read to E.
8:15: Read to Z while he plays Legos.
8:30: Tuck Zach in trying to convince him it REALLY is time to go to bed.
8:32: Re-tuck Zach into bed while he requests that I set my alarm for 4:30 AM so I can get him up early enough to have plenty of play time tomorrow.....not a chance buddy.
8:45: Blog about it all so it will never ever happen again.