Famous Last Words

"I'm ready, world. Now I can open my blinds and unlock the door and know that I'm ready for whatever the day has in store" - these are the words that I typed at exactly 7:22 a.m. yesterday.

I believe that I have learned to question the wisdom of ever telling the world you are ready for whatever it has in store. 'The world'  has a sense of humor and will laugh heartily as it tests your ability to confront the day's challenges.

I rolled with it when my four-year-old daycare charge got sick to her stomach. Profusely. Just as I  had started to prepare lunch. All over the love seat. And the floor. She was covered from the ends of her hair to the tip of her toes.

I bathed her. I changed her. I rinsed out her clothes. I cleaned up the couch & carpet. Then I went back to making lunch.

It was then, that I discovered that my pot had boiled over onto the burner despite the fact that I turned everything off the moment that I realized that I wouldn't be returning any time soon.

My little sick girl was laying contentedly on the couch.

Hey wait! She is laying down. She is still sick. Get something for her to lay on!! Quick!!!

I almost made it.

She got the couch and the floor. Not so much on her clothes this time.

Her dad sent me a text message in and around this time. Dad: "Do you want me to pick her up?" Me: "Yes please".

Just to assure me that I had done the right thing and asked for an assist from her dad, she threw up one more time. On the carpet, by the front door, before they had a chance to leave. I was 'that close' to making an almost clean break.

I scrubbed. I cleaned. I wiped. I swiped. All I could smell was vomit (that is what happens when you take a good, deep whiff of a dirty couch).

I didn't know if it was my imagination or if the scent of vomit had permeated the air. I found out later that I was wearing some of it.

Then my other three started waking up from naps. I fed the one-year-old his bottle. He actually stayed still for more than a few minutes. I savored those moments. They are rare and unusual. It is a very, very good thing that I did because ...

... the instant he started to move about, my two-year-old woke up. She smelled pretty funky. No, she wasn't sick. Just a diaper issue.

I cleaned her up and returned to my one-year-old and thought the air still smelled funny. No, it wasn't just something in the air. It was my one-year-old. I cleaned him up.

Then my other two-year-old woke up. I took a deep breath as I fortified myself for the home stretch of the day. Was I ready for this?

The air that I inhaled didn't smell too good. "Are you stinky?" I asked my innocent little girl. She simply replied "Yes".

Do you ever have a day that just plain stinks?!?? I did.

Well world, I'm not ready for a thing today. I'm still trying to figure out if the house smells funny. And if so, why ...