Let me be perfectly clear here, I did NOT mean it literally when I joked about “bring it on.” This has been a week, guys, and one that has pushed me about to my limit. I’m just incredibly tired. Tired of the constant setbacks yes, but also tired physically, emotionally, mentally, in every way.
We started the week with taking the kids on Sunday to visit Kendall’s grave for Memorial Day weekend. It was the first time most of them have been back. I’m glad we went, but it was hard for all of us.
On Monday my basement flooded. Yes, AGAIN. I was told that I probably needed to jackhammer up my floor down there and completely redo the plumbing to make sure it didn’t happen again. (Although I pushed that off, since we’re seeing if installing a really powerful toilet down in the basement will stop it from clogging and backing up through the laundry room.)
Then we discovered that the NEW and very expensive sewer line outside will have to be completely re-dug up and done again (thankfully the cost is covered this time by the plumbing company, although the inside stuff is on me). Apparently they broke one of my sprinkler lines before and it has been steadily leaking, saturating the ground so much it is starting to cause a sink hole (and right by my foundation), and the wet dirt was so heavy that it sunk and caused a bowing/belly in the new line.
Stayed up past midnight trying to finish painting before carpet was laid the next day, and then had a day where the carpet installer didn’t even show up. (Come to think of it, I have stayed up entirely too late on many nights this week.)
Learned my brand new AC system (installed in February along with the new furnace in preparation for Kendall to come home post-transplant) was apparently installed incorrectly and had to get that fixed during this heat wave.
Have had problems with insurance and trying to get reimbursed for replacement furniture (and learning I can’t even purchase the same types of furniture, because Ikea is out of EVERYTHING).
Electrical problems in our family room that can’t be looked at until next week, so several non-working outlets even though we’ve tried replacing the breaker…
Our new sectional from Costco was supposed to be delivered yesterday between 12:00 and 2:00. Just didn’t arrive. After more than 4 1/2 HOURS total (between my dad and I) on hold, using the chat feature, and then speaking to someone who couldn’t help me at all, the best I got was I “should” get a call from management at Costco Logistics within the next 72 hours to start to resolve my problem. Maybe. The mistake was completely theirs, too – they had put the time wrong in the system as 12:00 AM instead of PM, so the computer kicked my order out as “null” and won’t let me reschedule online. So no couch to sit on as we can’t plug in our TV to the non-working outlets (although I suppose we can run a long extension cord to plug it in, and just sit on the floor – I know, first world problems).
Lost a few clients who didn’t want to wait any longer for when I’m finally able to resume in-person therapy.
Then kid stuff this week, too. Adriana had her wisdom teeth out on Tuesday, so ice packs 20 minutes on 20 minutes off for the past several days, preparing soft foods she didn’t want to eat, different meds and mouthwash and syringes and gauze and to keep track of…. Finding out last minute that the middle school had given Miriam incorrect information about her National TSA competition so we were scrambling trying to get her there on time today….
And other trivial kid stuff that really shouldn’t have been a big deal but all adds up to constant stressors and things that need to be handled, usually by me. And on and on and on. It’s. been. a. week. Yes, there have been bright spots throughout the week as well. We don’t even know who heart attacked our door on Wednesday. And there were the friends who showed up Monday night, on the holiday, to help me with painting when I realized I was in over my head. Or my sister rushing to the rescue and taking my kids (except Darren who opted to stay with Grandma and Grandpa) overnight after we flooded and didn’t have working toilets for a bit . Or the family and friends who have helped shuttle kids to various activities as I have been stuck at home with various workmen here. Yes, I fully admit that there have been blessings too. (And yes, I’m still writing daily in that gratitude journal, but I’ll confess that there have been a few days this week when it took me a while to come up with five things from the day to write.)
So forgive me if I whine a bit. I know I won’t stay in this funk, but I am so very frazzled and worn out and probably a bit in shock and just over adulting at all after this past week. Ugh, ugh, ugh. Please tell me this level of mayhem isn’t normal, right? Surely I didn’t mistakenly sign up for this somehow?
(Oh, and as an update, my eye really is doing so much better. Not 100% yet, but I can see to drive and can even put on makeup again. Very thankful for antibiotics!)
(Also, if you look very carefully at the signs on our door, they say things like “Suzanne can.” And really, I can and will. l’m not about to check out or anything, and I’ll show up each day and do what needs to be done. I don’t really have another choice. I’m a mom, that’s what we do. But I am so very tired.)
