What a week.  I am not sure how it is only Wednesday or how everything seems to go wrong at the same time and create a perfect storm of inconvenience.  But seriously, how does that always seem to happen?

Scott had only about 32 hours of travel time this week when he’d be gone.  One night.  It happened to coincide with a big reception event I was coordinating at work and a million student appointments for research papers.  And then I get phone call Tuesday at 1:30 that poor Jude started crying at school with an aching ear.  I rush across campus (which means I walked one block at my tiny university) to get him and brought him back to hang in my office while I finished up some tasks and student meetings.  Then I dragged him back to get Norah and hauled them both in the grocery store to get a large sheet cake and a million other items for this work shindig.  It was less than ideal, and I feel certain the cashiers at Publix felt so sorry for me as it was obvious I needed more hands and arms than I had.  The bagging lady offered to help me and we ended up forming a caravan to the car with two carts and two exhausted children in the fiercest March wind I can remember.  (Where is spring, by the way?)

So this morning was that should I take my kid to school or should I not? dance that every parent knows.  Made all the more difficult by the fact that I truly had to be present for this reception and Scott was out-of-town.  So not bringing him would have been a difficult feat to orchestrate.  And did I mention I slept from 10-1 last night and then Jude’s cough woke up Norah and it was 4am when I got her back to sleep?  And then Jude busted in my room at 5am.  So I got 4 very broken-up hours of sleep and put on a happy face for a work event today.

And I survived.

The event went well with a large crowd.  Jude feels alright and his teacher reports a good day.  I came home to this delicious dish on the table because Sunday Me had the forethought to plan for Wednesday-Late-Work-Event Me and prep it to wait on us in the fridge.  Scott made it home safely and baked it for us, and Norah was asleep by 7:45, Jude soon thereafter.  It’s a fact of life that when it rains it pours.  But it’s also a fact of life that the vast majority of the time, that thing I stress about and wonder how it will get done gets done after all.  We survive and move on, and I fully intend to turn in early with my latest reading in just a few minutes.  Tomorrow is a new day.

Sweet moments shine through a bit if I look for them.

I found Norah helping Margo this morning. Her arthritis flares in the morning, and when Norah saw her having trouble, she decided to bring the food bowl straight to her.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with working mom guilt and question every decision you make, wondering if you’re doing it right.  But sometimes you see your kids make small choices that tell you something must be going well after all.  The more experience I get in this motherhood job, the more I cling to those moments as comfort.  And the less I beat myself up.  Tomorrow is a new day.