One of my very favorite shows right now is The Middle. It’s about a middle class family living in the Midwest. And every episode is strangely similar to my life. I’m thinking the writers could spend a week with our family and have some fresh material for next season. Yesterday was a prime example.
Yesterday was my birthday. It started out as a typical day. Each member of my family wished me a happy birthday before we all headed off to work/school/the babysitter. I received gifts from friends and co-workers. My students brought me treats. My parents took me out to lunch. I was really feelin’ the love. And that’s where the fun ends.
We went to the local Mexican restaurant for dinner. An early bird dinner. Before 5:00. We basically inhaled our food and took off in separate cars to our next destinations. Bri was headed back to McDonald’s, where her empty car was saving her spot in the drive-thru lane for the coveted “free meal a week for a year” voucher. You can read more about that here. Allison and I went to a Dance Team meeting (I forgot to mention that Allison made lieutenant of the Dance Team for next year…way to go!!) Then we rushed from that meeting to church to attend the commissioning service for the Spring Break mission trip. She’ll be leaving for Minneapolis on Sunday.
After the commissioning service, I took Allison home so she could change her clothes and then I drove her to McDonald’s where she would join the Fast Food Sleepover. It was after 8:00 and I was finally heading home for the day.
Bedtime routines can be exhausting, and last night was no exception. Finally at 8:45, the little kids were in bed. The big kids were gone for the night. I was ready to relax for a few minutes before calling it a day. Then my dear, sweet hubby announces that he’s really tired and is ready to go to bed.
Really?? On my special day? I forced sweetly asked him to stay up long enough so we could watch Survivor. He agreed.
It wasn’t exactly a relaxing, spa-like birthday. But that’s life with kids. Especially 4 of them! But my story doesn’t end there.
Knowing my kids were out all night, I didn’t sleep too well. And when the girls returned home at 5:30 am, I was up to greet them. They were tired. And grumpy. And Bri was crying. Her night went something like this:
Around 12:30 am, she was walking to the gas station with a group of kids to go to the bathroom. They were horsing around and the kid walking in front of her stopped. She didn’t see him (I’m sure that has nothing to do with her horsing around) and she stepped on his foot, rolling her ankle. She spent the rest of the night hobbling around in pain.
When 5:00 rolled around, she entered the restaurant, ordered a drink, received her voucher, and then lost the voucher. Yes, I’m serious. She LOST HER VOUCHER!!!! I’m sure a lecture from her mom at 5:30 am is about the last thing she wanted, but I had very little empathy at that point.
When I told Jeremy about her misadventures, his response: “I knew it was a bad idea to let them go.” Typical dad response!
Today I spent my entire planning period and lunch getting X-Rays of her foot. Which is badly sprained. But she can barely walk on it. And we’re leaving on Monday to go to Washington, DC. I’m keeping her home until then. Possibly in bubble wrap. Icing her foot. Keeping it elevated and wrapped. So she’s staying home from school again tomorrow.
“She’s so lucky!” says Allison. The kid who made it home after an all-nighter without injuries and with a food voucher!
In my previous post I did say it was more about the memories than the free food. I hope I was right, since that’s all my poor girl has.
This picture was on the front of the newspaper. Allison, the “unlucky kid” is second from the right on the back row.
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