Yesterday was a bad bad day.
It all started with the telephone. We continue to have phone problems - this is the third time since we switched companies. We were supposed to get repaired within 24 hours, but no-one got to us Tuesday night. So we got scheduled for a repair visit between 8-11am on Wednesday. I got madder and madder the later it got because I wanted to be first visit of the morning! After all, it HAD been more than 24 hours!!! I have so many things to get done before Anna's birthday party on Saturday. Yet there I was, stuck at home. I had things to do there too, but I was being selfish and didn't want to do the things I was supposed to do at home (cleaning bathrooms is my least favorite chore).
The guy finally arrived at 10:30. He fixed everything in about 1 minute. Then he left. My mood improved.
Until I tried to use the phone. No dial tone. Again.
Good mood gone.
I called the company back, and the hold time was an hour. Now I was furious. I rehearsed over and over the speech I would give to whoever the unlucky phone operator was who got me.
As is typical when mommy is having a bad day, the kids were very needy yesterday. This only made the situation worse. I don't do needy anyway. But when I was already grumpy, this just sent me over the edge. I snapped at them when they cried over minor things or whined because they weren't getting my attention.
I had this nagging feeling that the problem wasn't with the phone system. I kept looking at the phones and disconnecting and reconnecting stuff. Finally I heard that phone-off-the-hook sound in one phone. And another phone wouldn't respond.
Ah hah! The guy had tested a phone that has been giving us trouble. One time I was using it and it died in the middle of a call. But it hadn't disconnected the call. I couldn't pick the call up on any other phone and I couldn't hang up either. I finally had to call the person back on my cell phone. Eventually the phone disconnected.
First I disconnected the power to all the phones. That didn't disconnect the call. Then I pulled the battery pack out of the bad phone.
Ahhhhhhhhh. A dial tone!
Unfortunately, I had been grumpy for so long now, that there was no saving the day. Elli was whiny until she went to school, and whiny when she got home. I do whining even less than I do needy (though the two are often inextricably linked). Dinner was a disaster. So much so that Scott went to church long enough to lead the singing and returned to put the kids to bed. I was exhausted and crawled into bed myself at about 8:30. Not that I could sleep. Elli cried for about 45 minutes after Scott laid her down, so I couldn't sleep. I ended up getting back up and folding laundry for an hour.
Ugh. It was definitely a day I wish I could take back. At one point Sam actually told me that I wasn't Elli and should start being a Mommy and stop yelling like Elli. Ouch. Even my 3 1/2 year old knew I was being childish.
Today has been better. But I'm still tired. Glad tonight is a quiet night at home - Survivor and CSI or My Name Is Earl/The Office (such a decision!).
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Anna does not have an ear infection! We think she's grumpy because she is cutting a tooth. She slept a little better today since I kept her medicated with Tylenol and Advil. She is also frustrated because she wants desperately to walk on her own and isn't quite there yet. We always have about a 2-week span of time before she reaches a new milestone where she's crabby and yells a lot. Gee. I wonder where she gets that?!?!
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I got canvas bins for my sewing and knitting stashes! And for my scrapbooking stuff. Here's to organizing and tidying my craft table so I can actually use it for crafts. What a concept.
No curtains though. I can't find anything I like. At least that I can afford. How come curtains are so expensive??? I think I'm going to take my interior designer sister shopping with me. Shoulda done that first? Yeah, I know.
