Yes, I'm Still Alive

It's been a while since I've posted...we've had one of those periods where everything seems to happen at once. Lots of child care disruptions and maneuvering, family illness, weekends away and chaos at work. I figured I'd get around to blogging tomorrow, or the next day, and here it is over a month later.

But then I was starting to wonder what I would even blog about. Seems like we've been super busy and maxed out, but none of it is interesting or worth repeating. How can that be? Is it possible that we go through a grey time of parenting where nothing magical happens, nothing special, just day-in day-out routine? I kept thinking there had to be something, and keep coming up empty.

So, maybe the thing for me to think about is how to plug back into something other than survival. Covering child care gaps. Scrambling to finish PowerPoints just before I get to the front of the room to share them. Running errands. Filing taxes at the very last minute.

And here it is. My wife has been away at a conference since Wednesday, and my mother-in-law came and took the girls to her house that same morning, because it's spring vacation and she thought they'd like to have a change of scenery since we had no time off. So I was thinking it would be a great time to recharge -- take it easy, have a few glasses of wine, watch whatever TV I wanted, spend an hour or two browsing at Barnes & Noble (one of my favorite things to do), maybe run to the Apple Store and grab a game or (God willing) finally find a Wii in stock somewhere (I mean seriously, how can it be this hard to buy a friggin Wii?) And, instead, I got strep throat.

Fortunately, no one has been here while I've been contagious, but no one has been here to take care of me either. Just the cat, and she's useless unless I want my feet warmed. And after three days of sitting here, mindlessly waiting for my throat to open up again and stop feeling like it's full of daggers, it hit me.

Despite all the hassle and rush and frustration of life's routines, when you remove it from your day, it's disconcerting. I miss my wife. And I don't know if I can go another day without my girls. So sometimes, I suppose the most reassuring and comforting parts of being a dad aren't just in the magical moments, but in having a little princess run by and give you a wave or a sit down to read you her latest catch from the library. Or just having them be there, even if quietly.

Happy to be feeling somewhat better, and glad to be blogging again. Hope everyone has been doing well.

One of Those Days

Today is one of those days where everything just goes wrong, and every decision you make seems bad.

About 2 weeks ago, our garage door opener on one side broke, so we've been doing the manual up and down to get in and out with the car. The repair man has been uber booked, so we haven't been able to get it fixed yet.

So, last night, I realized we're in the house at night sleeping with the garage door closed but not locked on one side. So I flipped the lock on the door from the laundry room to the garage, just for peace of mind.

Now is where you're invited into the chaotic life of the McNallys in Progress. This morning, we're zipping around late (of course and as usual) for church, trying to get kids in coats and out the door. Mom in Progress and I both were out the door at the same time, when I hear her behind me say "Oh no, the door is locked isn't it" as it shuts behind us. And it gets better...because we're so smart and organized, we don't carry keys to our house on our key rings. My mother-in-law has one, our nanny has one, but we never had dupes made for ourselves. That's what garage door openers are for, right?

So we're locked out. We called a locksmith on the way to church and arranged for them to meet us after church. Apparently, we have the premium brand deadbolts and locks that are pick proof, so the guy couldn't help us unless we drilled the lock and replaced it, which he estimated would cost over $200. We decided that was ridiculous, so we sent him on his way and decided to drive to the in-laws (an hour trip) to get the key.

The problem is, we were running late for church, so we didn't feed our poor cat, Miss Cally, thinking we'd just do it when we got home from church. But she had some dry food left over from yesterday, and plenty of water, so we figured we would be back in the afternoon to take care of her and she would be okay.

We stopped at the market so the girls could all go to the loo, then got gas, because, in typical fashion, the tank was on empty -- are you sensing the pattern of haphazardness here? And we're on the road. An hour and 10 later, we pull up to Nana's and all hop out, prepared to stay for a nice Sunday dinner. But Mom in Progress and I had to run to Target to pick up some TP, paper towels, napkins, Ziplocs (again, all on empty chez Progress), so we ran out, leaving the girls (a nice break!)

Halfway up the street, we heard an awful noise. One of the wheels (by the way we already need 4 new tires) was grinding and squealing. So we turned around and came back. No garages are open on a Sunday, and my brother-in-law called a buddy who said it's probably just a stone or something lodged in there. So we decided to run to Target anyway to test it. And it wasn't as bad, but here and there it acted up. So, we decided to stay over tonight, just to be safe, because tomorrow's a holiday and we don't have to work. So at Target, we bought some PJs for the girls, toothbrushes, contact lens stuff, etc. etc., plus all the other stuff we needed and guess how much we spent? $200. The price of drilling and replacing the door lock.

And poor Miss Cally is still in the dark house, eating day old dry food. We're awful.

Anyway, the girls are excited to have an unplanned sleepover at Nana and Grampa's house, so it works out. BUT, we have learned our lesson: stop being disorganized! We have to get it together. Life is too short to be running 50Ks just to get to church. And I think, finally, we got the wake-up call.