Survivor: The Week Without Dad - Day 4

This is part 4 of a series of posts chronicling our week while my man and my kids' dad was out of the country last week. See Day 1, Day 2 & Day 3.



Day 4 – Tuesday

Today has been tough. It is one of those “I feel completely overwhelmed by everything” sort of days.

It isn’t just one thing, it’s the whole combination of things.

I found out over the last couple of days about a fee here, and a request for money there, and they are all dollar amounts that seem completely unreasonable. I feel like we are being “nickel and dimed” to death and I hate that it is such a big deal. I hate that I have to be such a hawk about every cent that leaves this house. I hate it.

I also found out today about a school project that has been assigned to Sarah. Now, this one is not nearly on the scale of the project from last year, but it is due next week and I’m looking at the week and thinking, “When on earth am I going to have time to do this?” It’s not that I dislike projects per se, I’m just the kind of person that likes to know everything up front and I asked about projects at the very beginning of the school year and I felt like I was led to believe that there wouldn’t be one. I just want a syllabus. That’s all. I want to know what to expect. It’s hard and stressful for us as parents, at least for parents both working outside of the home, to schedule extra time to help with projects on short notice.

And did I mention that my car doesn’t work? It’s still sitting in the parking lot of my office.

I came home again today at lunch to get the BSF lesson that was dropped off for Mike last night so that I could scan it and email it to him. I drove up and was pushing my button for the garage opener. And pushed it again, and again, and again…. and then it dawned on me. Our power was out. Just what I needed.

Thankfully, by the time I had picked up both kids and got back home, the power was back on and we were able to continue with our day as planned and were able to talk to daddy on Skype in the evening.

I am so thankful for one couple of friends in particular today. I go to an aerobics/exercise class with my friend, Keal, on Tuesdays and Thursdays as I’m able. Tonight I was just planning on picking up some dinner for the kids and making them sit through it while I exercised. However, her sweet husband offered to take our kids along with theirs to McD’s for dinner while we exercised. It was the biggest blessing to have those 50 minutes with nobody needing anything from me.

Thank you, Mark. You have no idea how therapeutic that was for me.

We have our routines and disruptions in those routines are expected, but I can only handle so many disruptions at a time. For now, Mike being out of town is the only disruption I can handle well. The rest of these things that I’ve listed just added to my stress level today in ways that nearly made me crack. Normally I would be able to talk to Mike through all of this and maybe even come to some resolution on at least one thing. But with him not here, I feel like there are all these balls in the air with nowhere to go.

It's almost enough to make a girl lose. it.

But tomorrow is a new day, right? His mercies are new every morning. And tomorrow morning is Bible study.

Now that's something to look forward to.