A day in the life. . .

I have a sick girl, sweet Josie has a temperature of 102 today and just isn't feeling well at all. I didn't realize she was sick until later in the morning. I should have known when she didn't eat any breakfast, but things were too chaotic with Dugald being gone and me trying to get everyone up and dressed and googling maps to find out where Meg's soccer game was to be played. And Meggie spilled her milk all over the table. And the dog and cat needed to be fed. And the dishwasher needed to be unloaded so I could get the breakfast dishes in seeing as we have a mouse and all. Have I mentioned there is at least one mouse, and probably a family of mice, living in our kitchen somewhere? This despite the cat and our valiant efforts to vacuum, empty the trash and take out the compost every night. So, poor Jo got shuffled along and we went to the game, dog and all.

Oh yeah, another missed sickness clue, when I was trying to herd everyone to the car I found Jo huddled in her room by the heat vent. She was cold, but that didn't register with me right then, I just told her to get in the car. Not my best mothering story.

So, we got to the game and little Jo told me she didn't feel well and I finally looked straight at her, just her, and noticed she was in fact quite flushed. And shivering. I felt her head and knew that she had a temperature and then I felt awful and wished we hadn't come to the game. I'm not the best sports-fan mom anyway, I like to pawn soccer games on to Dugald when I can, because it's just too much to try and watch three small children AND catch my player's eye every time she looks to make sure I'm watching. But, with Dugald gone I felt it my duty to the team to get us there. Once I realized I had a good excuse to leave I would have used it, because honestly poor Josie was so uncomfortable, but every player on Meg's team was on the field and there were no substitutes and I couldn't bring myself to disappoint Meggie and the rest of the team by pulling her out to go home. And, since I'm not at all the games, I don't know any of the other parents well-enough yet to entrust my child to them for a ride home (or to even be so bold as to ask ). So we stayed.

I have to hand it to Josie, she was a trooper. The grass was so wet we couldn't sit down and unlike America nobody brings lawn chairs and umbrellas to sit under, and I think I sold mine in my Texas garage sale anyway, so Josie just shivered on one side of me while Rico sat on the other. Katie and Ellie went exploring and it wasn't five minutes before Katie came to me covered, head to toe covered, in mud. She'd slipped. What a mess.

The upside is I did get to know one of the other parents. He sidled over to me and introduced himself right before lighting a cigarette and exhaling in my face. He wanted to talk American politics, my favorite. I jest, I jest. I have to say it was kind of him to come meet me and talk, I'll just say we have very different perspectives on a lot of things. Not that he knows that because of course I just smiled and nodded and gently reminded him that I did come from Texas, just like GW. So, you know, be a little respectful. 'Kay?

We came home and Meggie and Katie were immediately sent to the shower and all their clothing was put in the washing machine because good grief they were filthy. Then I let them all watch a movie - Josie snuggled with her hot water bottle under her blankie and quilt from Grandma on the couch. It wasn't the Saturday I expected, but there is something so precious about a sick child, and it moves my heart to see her suffering and it makes me want to spoil her rotten. So I filled her glass with Sprite and practically hand-fed her bits of oranges, apples and crackers while she watched the movie. I had an hour and half of bliss - quiet children!

The rest of the day has been pretty much like that. Usually I would have cabin-fever because they'd be climbing the walls but I had a supply of movies on hand to counteract that. Instead I had a long, uninterrupted time on the computer, read some for my Mercy Ships presentation, almost fell asleep myself, finished cleaning the kitchen, put out the laundry and organized dinner. All in quiet. Amazing.