my momma told me there'd be days like this...

YESTERDAY:

the plan:

* go walking at 6:20
* be home by 7:30 and spend the morning working really hard to clean my house (Having sick kids for the past couple weeks has thrown my house into a complete state of chaos that I have been struggling to pull out of... I have two good friends from my high school days that were planning to stop in and visit - both of whom had never seen my house. I was not about to let them see it in the horrible state is was in.)
* go visiting teaching at 1:00 (my friends were going to lunch, but I couldn't go since I already had this appt. set up.)
* 3:00 (or some time in that general vicinity) open the door to my mostly clean house and welcome my friends in for a nice relaxing visit

THAT - was the plan -

What really happened:

* 6:00 - after being awakened who know how many time during the night - I got up and got ready to go walking. Since it wasn't time to go yet, I started cleaning out the dishwasher - to get a jump on the day's cleaning. Heard Bryan start crying...
* 6:15 - called my walking partner and explained that I couldn't go walking because Bryan and Katrina had both woken up crying and I was trying to get them back to sleep
* 8:30 - I woke up again, in Bryan's bed. (apparently I was tired or something...)
*9:30 - walked into the TV room to see Bryan holding his ear again, saying it hurt. (GREAT!!! this is NOT what I needed!) Made an appt to see the dr at 10:20.
* 10:10 - racing around the house looking for my keys that were lost AGAIN in the chaos of my house
* 10:30 - arrive at the Dr's office 10 minutes late, having found the missing keys (I knew they were in my jacket pocket - I just couldn't find the jacket! It was hiding under the open dishwasher door (remember that dishwasher that I started cleaning out but never quite got back to???)
*12:20 - heading back home after the dr found ears that had fluid buildup but no infection, and white spots on the throat but the strep test came back negative. "If he's not better in about 10 days, or if he gets worse, bring him back in." I wanted to strangle the poor man when he said that. this has been going on for 3 weeks! just give me the magic cure and give it to me NOW!!!
* 12:45 - after stopping at a FEDEX shipping location to ship something - only to be told that my shipping label had expired and that I need a new one (arrgghhhh) I stopped to pick up Aaron from my friend Holly's. (She had graciously agreed to keep him while I was gone, since he has a tendency to stir the others up and create sheer pandemonium. She could see that I was frazzled, and she offered to keep the kids while I went visiting teaching and throughout the afternoon so that I could have a few hours of peace and quiet to get some cleaning done. I was torn between not wanted to totally take advantage of her - and the delightful sound of an afternoon with only Caleb. I took her up on the offer and left the 3 older kids there.
* 1:00 - went visiting teaching without my companion, since she was home throwing up. I had a wonderful visit with one of my sisters. (Take note - this is the one thing that actually corresponded with the original plan! That us cause for celebration.)
* 1:40 - went to the home of the 2nd sister I was going to visit. She wasn't there. Went home, put a sleeping Caleb in his bed (perfect timing), and took a deep breath in preparation for a super speed crisis cleaning session.
* 1:45 - noticed phone message light was blinking. It was Holly. "Everything is fine, the kids are fine and you don't need to come get them, I just wanted to let you know that Katrina threw up." I grabbed my keys to go over and get her, when the phone rang. I picked it up. It was the sister that hadn't been home. She was just getting back from her Dr appt up in SLC and she'd really like a visit. Now normally, I would explain what was going on and skip the visit. HOWEVER, this particular sister is really struggling right now. She is facing really serious medical issues, has no family in the area, and feels that everyone in the ward hates her and they want to move their records to another ward because they feel that this ward is so "unfriendly." In truth, it really is a very difficult ward, but that's another post altogether. The fact that she had called me and wanted me to visit, indicated that I really needed to go. So I left a note on the door for my friends explaining my absence, got Caleb out of bed, and off we went.
* 3:50 - finished visiting (She really just needed someone to listen and the visit certainly could have gone longer but Caleb was poopie and he was DONE sitting there!)
* 3:55 - picked up the kids from Holly and apologized for being so long and leaving a throwing up kid with her. (She'll think twice before she volunteers anything like that again!) As I left, I told her, "At least by now my friends are long gone back home and I don't have to worry about them seeing my filth-pit of a house!"
* 4:00 pulled into my driveway to see my dear friends on the porch waiting for me. (Actually, they were leaving me a note (their second))
What could I do?? I apologized to them, made a half hearted attempt at an apology for my house, then invited them into my CHAOS.
* 6:00 my friends were driving away and I went in the house. A few minutes later the phone rang. It was a neighbor from down the street." I just thought you'd want to know that your little boy is sitting the in the middle of the road - with no clothes on." WILL IT NEVER END???

In the end - I am so thanksful for good friends. Holly is still my friend, even after I bail on walking, leaving 3 kids there for hours on end, while one of them is throwing up, and I'm thankful for Cheri and Michelle, who are still my friends, even after seeing my chaos - and today I got up with the determination to make a dent in the mess. So far, not a lot of progress, but a little... I guess I should get off the computer and get to work.