Dragging (But Surviving)

What a week.

I've almost made it through, though. Terence left last Sunday for some training in Tucson. Tucson isn't all that far, but it is too far for him to make the drive back and forth every day. So the kids and I have been on our own for a little while.

Terence sat them all down before he left and urged them to be as helpful and cooperative as possible while he was gone. But seriously, it's like everything fell apart when he left. Either the kids have been more stubborn, messy, and unmotivated than normal, or I have far less patience to deal with it. Probably the latter, but it has made things a real challenge.

It's not like I haven't had help. My mom came on Monday and did my grocery shopping, as well as cleaning my kitchen. (My mom is awesome-- she went straight from my house to Camie's to help out with dinner, kids and homework while Camie was at school.) Then Camie brought dinner on Wednesday and cleaned my house. Jana babysat the younger kids so M and I could go to activity days without having to bring along everyone.

But of course the extra challenges were there to balance it all out. Tuesday night, just to prove that when it rains it pours, we lost power during a thunderstorm. We went without power for ten hours. Ten hours!! You would think that since most of those hours were in the middle of the night it would have been no big deal. Nope. Three unhappy, terrified children (and one hyper-as-all-get-out) trying to sleep in one room was not ideal. I had one lantern and one working flashlight, and none of my kids will sleep in the pitch black, so I had to keep the lantern in with the kids. Unfortunately, my flashlight only lasted an hour, and the lantern only lasted three. My kids did not sleep very well at all, especially with the loud overhead thunder booms. I slept even worse-- it was hotter than all get out, and I couldn't bring myself to even open the windows and let in some of the marginally cooler air. (Say what you like, but it was just a little too freaky for me to try and sleep with my ground floor windows open in the utter pitch black with a husband out of town and a thunderstorm going on.)

By last night I was just a wreck. When I finally got the kids into bed, I collapsed into bed, too exhausted and depressed to want to move. Even when Terence called I was in too black of a mood to pick up the phone. (Poor Terence apparently worried all night until he got a hold of me this morning.) There was a moment when I thought of my new prescription slip for the depression meds sitting on my desk and wondered if it really wasn't past time that I got it filled.

This morning I felt a little better. Enough to actually get out of bed and make my way through the morning routine. I still got the kids to school on time, though K made the ride in his pj's. I talked to Terence enough to brighten my morning a bit, especially since he is coming home tonight. Hallelujah!!!

I need a break. How do single moms do it?