The Boys & Me

“Oh, no.” was all I could muster to the sweet lady on the phone.  Dylan’s dentist appointment was at 7:30 a.m.  

After being told we could still make an appointment at 8:30 a.m. since they had a cancellation the race was on. I was able to get Dylan out of bed and I jumped in the shower without washing my hair.  Dylan's ADHD medicine hadn't had time to start working so the drive to the office consisted of his legs in a constant state of movement and nonstop talking.  Half way to the office my gas light sounds but there is no time to stop.  We pulled up right at 8:30 a.m. 

Dylan had two fillings fall out so the dentist was replacing them and right after the nurse gave him the numbing shots I remembered he had an allergic reaction the last time.  I sat watching his breathing worried about a more severe reaction than before which consisted of white bumps on his face.  He did really well and when they were getting him cleaned up to leave the nurse noticed his left eye was watering so I got up to look. His eye was clearly showing signs of a reaction.  They gave him Benedryl and all was well.

I stopped by the gas station near the dentist office which also happens to be the place where I needed to order my niece’s birthday cake.  After the Baker described how she would make the high heel shoe cake in detail she told me she’d have to call me Monday to let me know if they could make it for me – something about their manager has to approve each order.  What?  I didn’t have time to ask about this bad-for-business insane new policy.  As we left I realized I was going to be late for my volunteering commitment at the blood drive.

After I passed the Rogers exits I realized the free Sonic milkshake coupon the office gave Dylan was only valid in Rogers, Springdale and Lowell.  Looking at the clock, it was now 10:00 a.m. and knowing I didn’t get the chance to feed my family breakfast I stopped by the McDonalds near our house for some food only to get home and find out that what I ordered for myself wasn’t in the bag.  By now I’m frazzled and don’t even want to eat but out of principle since nine times out of ten that McDonalds gives the wrong food at the drive through I go back to the restaurant on my way to the blood drive to pick up my bacon, egg and cheese biscuit. I was given a free coffee for my trouble.

I was thrilled to get to the blood drive so I could sit and breathe while drinking the much needed caffeine.  Even better, I got to spend a few minutes with my friends Doris and Lisa.  Dane was supposed to attend the blood drive with me since the school is out for a short break and I wanted Dane to experience some volunteer work but his friend called asking Dane to hang out with him so I let him go. When I got back from the blood drive Dane was gone, Randy was in his cave working as usual, and Dylan still seemed subdued from the laughing gas and Benedryl and I wondered how I could get my hands on that laughing gas for at-home use. 

After straightening up the house, surfing the job boards, and starting laundry I was off to pick up Mira from school. Later Dane called begging me to allow him to skip his tennis lesson so he could spend more time at his friend’s house.  I reluctantly agreed.  Dane is at a stage in life where he thinks everyone else has it better and has more interesting stuff. 

I started a movie for Mira and Dylan after getting a snack for them and it wasn’t long before I needed to pick up Dane and start dinner. I was in luck in that since we were grilling chicken thighs Randy would be doing some of the cooking.  I think Mira ended up eating more than the boys, giggling frequently while eating. Having a girl at the table was very different than our normal routine.

Carol came for Mira and I cleaned up the kitchen before settling in to watch The Middle with Randy and Dane while Dylan used my laptop to play on CandyStand. I was ready for a laugh.  I explained to Dane that family sitcoms are very different than when I was a kid watching The Cosby Show.

So, if you ever wondered what its like to be a SAHM there it is.  I am lucky in that I was able to leave one child at home while dealing with another since Randy works from home.  At one point Randy said it was a day like this that I might wish I worked. What I didn’t say was Dylan would have still needed to go to the dentist.  I still would have needed gas and to order a cake. I still would have had to transport a child somewhere, dinner would have still need to be made, laundry still would need to be done and the house still needs straightening. Not working for a paycheck means you have one less person to report to, one less reason for guilt and a lot less money.