Manic Monday

Every day last week I would wake up – wide awake – 30 minutes before my alarm was due to sound my wake up call. This morning, my alarm did not go off and I woke up at 6:44 instead of 6:00. At first, I tried to convince myself that it was not Monday, but that it was still the weekend. After checking my phone and computer, panic mode set in and I rushed to get me and two kids dressed, fed, and out the door in 30 minutes instead of an hour and 20 minutes. And since I was in a hurry, everything that could go wrong did go wrong. The baby was incredibly grumpy the older child wanted to wear the new shoes I got for her to wear at Easter (assuming they will be with me for Easter), the sippy cup leaked –twice, I dropped my coat in the dog’s water bowl and had to wear the one missing a button, I cut myself on my hand requiring a band-aid so as to not get blood all over everything, my chosen shoes caused an immediate blister and shoe change, and the kids had to eat cold cereal in the car on the way to the baby-sitters. But, I did manage to get to work on time and since then the day has been going smoother. Usually, when mornings like this happen (because they do from time to time – well, not the alarm clock, this is the first time that has failed me), as each thing happens, I get more and more frustrated and begin to lose my cool. This morning, I took it in stride with only minor cool lost. I listen to Joyce Myer most mornings (not this morning!) and she talks about when days like this happen, it is a test to see how we handle it. And we cannot fail because if we don’t get it right we get to do it again. She calls it “going around the mountain.” As this morning was unraveling all I kept thinking was, “I’ve been here before and I don’t want to go around this mountain again.” I guess that is how I was able to not lose it. Even in traffic, I didn’t shout at crappy drivers –not even the large dump truck with a trailer that swerved from the line of traffic in the driving lane out in front of me after jamming on the breaks, causing the dump truck behind him to leave some rubber on the asphalt only to then swerve back into the passing lane.

In other news, the kids have a Permanency Hearing on March 18^th. Nothing has been said to me about what might be the possible outcome of this hearing. I am invited to attend but it is during work hours so I cannot be there. Hopefully, if the kids are going home right after this hearing, someone will give me a heads up so I can prepare their move. The last I heard, the county was not happy with the mother’s progress – whatever that means. There have not been any more over-night visits since the kids first moved with me but weekly visits have continued. I was hoping the kids would be with me for Easter so we could do an Easter egg hunt and dye eggs. I guess we will have to do this before the 18^th. Other than that, it’s just a wait and see process.