just how busy

It was suggested to me recently that I am not busy enough, and that this blog's greedy constituents would be very "interested" in daily verbiage from me. Well, like I told her, not gonna happen. I do, however, feel that this past thursday is a great example of "just how busy" one baby, one puppy, only two arms and approximately 14 hours in the day can keep me. Get ready, this one's long.

preface: Thursdays are babysitting for the PWOC (protestant women of the chapel) while they have a breakfast and Bible study day, and since I'm on base anyway, Thursdays are also get-everything-you-can-possibly-get-done-on-base-done day. I've driven the last few times so that I can run errands and grocery shop in the afternoon. This thursday, however, I found a ride with one of the other babysitters, so mr. waaz informed his posse that he would be driving the carpool to work. Well, Wed. night my ride called to say that she was riding with someone else and so I was out of luck. hmm.... Fortunately, I remembered that one of my other friends often went to this particular PWOC event, and so I gave her a ring. She was going but had to take her son to an appointment in the early pm, so we wouldn't be going home right away. Perfect, I can visit the thrift store and look at every.single.rack. without mr. waaz poking me and jerking his chin towards the door every two minutes.

Thursday morning dawned a bit cloudy, but I changed and fed EP, started a load of diapers and dishes (not in the same machines), and made it out the door just as my ride was pulling up. we drove a new (to me) way to base and managed to avoid most of the caribineri potholes and I made it to the nursery only a few minutes late. The kids were great, and the thrift store was even better (three dozen prefolds, a stoneware bread pan, a glass container for my brown sugar, 2 juice glasses, a baby toy, summery clothes for me, etc.) I was VERY glad I'd remembered to pack my sling since EP got hungry while I was shopping and my hands were pretty full on my way to the hospital. Did I mention it was sprinkling by then?
I left my bags under N's tire well and went to the front desk at the hospital to see if I could locate her and her keys. Except I could only remember her first name and the approximate time of her son's appointments. When a search by the receptionist of each clinic's appointment list yielded no results, and she was not in either of the waiting rooms, it was suggested that "maybe you don't know your friend very well." Ah, italian wit. Not willing to wait around, I left a note under N's windshield wiper asking her not to run my bags over and went on to the MWR (morale, welfare, and recreation) office to ask about a ticket for the chocolate factory tour. sold out, which means my other friend K, who's 9.5 months pregnant, had to go alone. oops.
Back to the Commissary (in the drizzle) to grab some chocolate covered almonds and raisins, share some zucchini bread and cream cheese with EP, change and feed him for real (bread just didn't cut it) in the NEX's oh-so-comfy living room furniture area, and then it was time to return to the hospital to meet up with N and go home wait some more. Approximately two hours later a freshly immunized and stickered 3 year old, his mother, my boy, and I headed back to the Commissary for one loaf of bread and some juice and to the NEX to inquire about new lenses for little D, and then to the food court to pick up the conciliatory burger and fries and head home in the rain. I think next time I'll take the bus.
I put the dog outside and left the house at 8:30 a.m., and as I opened the front door at 5:30 p.m., it hit me that I hadn't put the dog's crate out with her that morning. Poor Puzza was curled up on a chair watching the back yard turn into a swimming pool. Bad mom moment number 8 or so (seven was when the boy ended up his face on the tile in the middle of the night last week). About two minutes after I walked in the door, mr. waaz called. Turns out he hadn't thought I'd be gone all day either, and had begun to wonder when I didn't pick up the phone several times in a row. I informed him that he was on his own for dinner, he informed me he was stopping by the NEX to pick up a phone to replace his buddy's that went through our washing machine, and that a much awaited PACKAGE from my mother was in his possession. Hooray!! Just enough impetus to bake a loaf of zucchini bread for N who hadn't ever had any and turn over the laundry and look at the dishes in the dishwasher.
When it came time for Bible study two hours later, I left the dog inside but not in the dreaded crate, marveled at the state of my living room, and situated the boy in the sling yet again for the trip down to the community center/chapel. another two hours later, I walked back in the door and went straight to the little cardboard box that had eluded me for weeks on end. What a great way to end the day. Too bad I couldn't even appreciate everything until the next day because I had to find something to eat, change and feed the baby and read him one of his new books, kiss the H and go to sleep. phew.


Friday was much more relaxed. I washed my new wool (!), admired my presents, and found out some very interesting information to be shared at a later date (no I'm not pregnant), and had steak, salad, and potatoes with some spectacular wine for dinner. Have to celebrate 3 days with the H somehow :)