Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Last Tuesday went exactly as planned...

Almost.

First, you have to know THE PLAN. I really think, given the circumstances, that it needs to be capitalized because I put quite a bit of effort into THE PLAN.

Not that anyone apparently cared. *ahem*

THE PLAN:
7am--kids up, dressed, breakfast (Mark handles that--got to love a hubby who is a morning person!)
8am--start school--pledge, Bible, prayer then on to schoolwork
While kids work, I make lunch to have ready to take with us for appointments and prep dinner
10am--leave for Danielle's annual eye checkup from her strabismus surgery
noonish--eat lunch, either at SLCH or home, depending on the eye appointment
1:30pm--if home, leave for speech (otherwise we're still at SLCH and can just go straight to speech)
2-3:30pm--speech
home by 4pm--make dinner to take for Tim to eat at Alex's soccer practice and the girls to eat while Tim is at gymnastics (we're all together for this, but the girls eat slower and can't get done at soccer before we need to leave for gymnastics)
5pm--soccer practice for Alex, Mark meets us there
5:30pm--gymnastics for Tim
6:30pm--gymnastics for Bianca and Julia
7pm--dance for Danielle and Emily (dance and gymnastics are at the same place for all of the kids)
home by 8pm, quick bedtime

That was THE PLAN. There was a small snag...

The preceding Saturday Tim fell on the playground. He landed on his side with his arm flat underneath him. He complained of it hurting, but it was not bruised or swelling and he had full range of motion in his hand and arm so we just kept an eye on it. But Monday night he had gymnastics. We told his coach what had happened and just to let him modify activities as needed, and told Tim to do what was comfortable. However, after watching him practice, it was clear he was not comfortable using his arm at all.  Mark and I decided he probably needed an x-ray just to rule out a possible break. THE PLAN became this:

7am--kids up, dressed, breakfast (Mark handled that--got to love a hubby who is a morning person!)
8am--call to doctor's office to see if they can send him for an x-ray without us driving out there
8:30am--dr's office calls back; Tim has to be seen and can we come right now?
9am--dr's office with all six kids; we do morning school routine in the exam room (we found a small flag on a book for the pledge--not kidding)
9:30am--x-ray for Tim. At this point, no one thinks Tim's arm is broken including the radiologist. We were all wrong. He has a buckle fracture of the left radius. He needs a cast and can we go to Children's right away as orthopedics can fit us in now?
10am--frantic call to Mark for help. I have to have Tim at the orthopedist and get Danielle to her eye doctor appointment. They are in the same building but I can't be in two places at once!
10:30am--Mark takes Tim back to see the orthopedist and I take Danielle to the eye doctor (where we wait...for a looonnnggg time)
1pm--We finish at the eye doctor. I let the kids have stickers AND suckers because they haven't eaten and they have been very well-behaved. Note that there was no time to make lunch in the morning, or dinner. Dash home.
1:30pm--kids scarf down lunch (two hours later than usual!!) and we turn around and head back to SLCH
2-3:30pm--speech. I call Mark to figure out dinner. Since Tim won't be doing gymnastics now, we can all stay at Alex's soccer practice and eat there. Mark volunteers to pick up pizza. I fall at his feet in tears of gratitude on the phone.
4pm--home from speech, need to leave in 45 minutes for soccer. I actually contemplate trying to fix dinner to take with us, then realize I still have to get everyone dressed for their respective activities and decide dinner from home is NOT going to happen.
5pm--soccer practice. Mark brings pizza, the kids play on the playground (except Tim)
6:30pm--gymnastics for Bianca and Julia
7pm--dance for Emily and Danielle
8pm--home and bed for EVERYONE

I'm not currently a big fan of Tuesdays (see THE PLAN above to figure out why) but this particular Tuesday made the other ones seem pretty calm. Maybe God just thought I needed some perspective. ;)