However, some weeks just stink, and last week was one of those.
One of the minor problems is that we've been dealing with two of our toilets being clogged. One is fixed, but the other one (and the one we use the most) is still backing up and has been plain disgusting! We think Deklan dropped something into it and it's clogging the pipes. Hopefully Vince will be able to fix it soon.
In October we found out from our accountant that we are eligible get a substantial amount of money back from the government from taxes that we've paid over the last several years. We were expecting a check in December but instead received a packet saying we needed to re-file because part of that refund came from before Vince & I were married and the papers we sent in were figured out for everything being done jointly. Because of that detail, we found out this week that we are only getting half of what we were originally expecting.
On Thursday I took Deklan to the pediatrician for his 18 month check-up. I was driving Vince's Tahoe (which is bigger than my vehicle) and ran into someone's door while parking! I don't think the damage is too severe, but I'm aggrivated at myself doing that and upsetting the girl whose door I hit and scratching Vince's perfect bumper... At this point I have not heard back from the girl (I never got her name) to find out what the cost of the damage is, and the waiting has been dreadful for me.
On Friday I had a terrible Mom day! I met up with a group of friends at the mall for the kids to play at the play-place and have lunch. Towards the end of lunch Grafton ran out of the food court 3 times and went to the fountain and started splashing his hands in it. I told him he did not get to watch any TV, play the Wii, or get on my computer to play PBS Kids games. Now, I'm not sure if his next action was because he was mad about his punishment or because he was feeling very ornery, but he ran out of the food-court again and jumped feet first into the fountain! I immediately marched him to the car and let him ride home cold, wet, and miserable. I felt so embarrassed that all of my friends saw my child acting so horribly when no one else's kids behaved even remotely that way.
The day did not get much better from there. When we walked in the door I found Sophie's poop on the living room floor and Vince had just steam-cleaned it on Monday. Then, a few minutes later, Sophie came out of my bedroom with my toothbrush in her mouth. It was the only one I had and I needed it desperately because I had a gyro for lunch that was strongly flavored with garlic and red onion. (I ended up using Vince's toothbrush and chewing gum.)
To continue with my rough day, the kids were playing the in the living room and Grafton laid our lamp on the floor and Sophie tore into it and destroyed our lampshade. Shortly after that Grafton took a rubbermaid of Sophie's food and dumped it on the floor going from the food bowl all the way to the backyard door. I put him in timeout while I cleaned up the mess and called my sister, Rachel, to vent about how I was not equipped to be a parent that day.... Once the mess was cleaned up I told Grafton he could leave time-out and walked into my bedroom where I stepped into something wet. Turns out, Grafton peed on our bedroom floor during his time-out session! I seriously considered not taking him to dinner (were we supposed to meet Vince's family at Macaroni Grill at 5), but then I would have been on my own for a few more hours, and I felt like I needed back-up or I would completely fall apart!
On Saturday morning I woke up early to pick up my Bountiful Basket and was able to enjoy the quiet peace of being by myself and take in the awesome sunrise and gorgeous weather. During that time the Lord reminded me that "His mercies are new every morning" (Lamentations 3:22-23). It is comforting to know each day I can wake up and rely on the new mercy that God has provided for me for that day.
I would love to say that after my nice morning with the Lord my day got much better. However, I came home to find that Deklan had a fever and was fussy and clingy all day. I'm pretty sure this was a result of giving him his booster shot for the swine flu vaccine which made me feel terribly guilty for having him get it.
At least my weekend ended nicely. We hosted a Super Bowl party and had 39 people over. I was able to eat delicious food, chat with my girlfriends, and laugh with them about my tough week.
Tomorrow I get to attend my Bible Study (the Lord knows I definitely need it) and have dinner with my Mom.
Things are definitely looking up!
