05/25/2005 - 8:33 a.m.
MOMMY'S BUSINESS TRIP LAMENT
Maybe I'm remembering wrong (and, according to my family, it wouldn't be the first time) but I think getting ready for an overnight business trip used to be easier. I wrote out a schedule for Mr. Philately (who was more likely to know most of it anyway), I packed, and I left. Sometimes, if I were feeling generous, I made sure the laundry was done. Now, responsibility around here is more diverse and I have to track each person down individually, get each one to dial in for a minute, and give information. I only takes three times as much time and work and results in at least twice the abuse.
Let's start with laundry. I certainly did. Mr. Philately does laundry occasionally, Day does laundry once in a while, and Kat does laundry only under duress. None of them, however, is brave enough to do the delicates load. Usually, this situation is no problem. I do the delicates load. This morning, I did the delicates load before I left because some important parts of the girls' undergarments are now delicates as is Day's fancy leotard (and she no longer has a plain leotard.) In the old days, lack of underwear would just have meant that one of them threw in a load but there is no more just thorw it in and try to keep the red socks away from the panties. No, they need a delicates load clean these days.
Then there is the run to take Day to dance at 5:20 p.m. True, Day now can and does make her own dinner before going. But there still is the matter of chauffeuring. IN the old days, it would have been on Mr. Philately's schedule, he would have left work early, and it would have been taken care of. Now, Kat graciously agreed to do it�but that was last week. Today, I reminded Kat of her agreement. Why, oh, why was I bother her in the morning? (Perhaps because I would be gone later?) What, oh what, made me think she would not remember? (I think I'll take the fifth. I'd drink it but I have to drive five hours.) Foolish soul, I then reminded Day that she was responsible for knowing the time as it is her dance class and Kat's sense of time is not as developed. (And why does everyone always give her things to do?)
Next, there was the matter of Day's summer internship. Day is doing multiple things this summer: a Shakespearean acting class (by audition), being a junior counselor at overnight camp for several weeks, a computer experience at a local college for a week, and an internship for the acting academy. There are still one or two details to nail down. In the old days, I was solely responsible for the summer schedule and I dealt with three or fewer different places. I also was the one who did any writing or speaking. But part of the intern and job experience is dealing with the people there. So now, I do not call or write. Instead, I have the even worse job of nagging my children into calling or writing for information. I had to type out what Day needed to know and who she needed to call, including the number.
And in the old days, when I was gone, I was gone. I think I rue getting a cell phone. It makes me feel expected to check in�so I did. I then discovered that Kat was sick and was concerned that she might have strep throat because it was going around the kindergarten she helps in. Fair enough (although it turned out not to be strep) but in the old days, I would have called Mr. Philately and had him set up a time to take her in to her doctor. Not today. A visit to her doctor means time out of school and she is in danger of losing her exam exemptions with more absences. She therefore (reasonably) wanted to go over to the clinic near the house that is open in the evening�except that it had moved. I had to call Mr. Philately and tell him where the brochure that listed the new address was. We then had to have a discussion about where I thought it moved to although he still would have to check the brochure to be sure. (Have I ever mentioned how much I hate the remodeling of my local mall and all of the hassles it is causing?)
You would think that they were deliberately making it difficult for me to go!
previous - next
|
Copyright 2006 by Ellen |
