The Universe

... it hates me today.

1. Jesse had to be out of town, for a long day, in New York. Not terrible - because it wasn't even for overnight, but I always really look forward to him coming home for lunch. It breaks up our day nicely, and gives us something nice in the middle of our day. When he doesn't come home for lunch, the day feels so much longer. But he's not getting home till after the kids' bedtime. So it's not nice.
2. I woke up to a messy kitchen. I was not looking forward to cleaning it. Just as I was getting into it, I made a discovery - Jesse's experiment with blackberry icees in our blender last night had not been cleaned up. Our countertops were absolutely stained with blackberry juice. I was t-i-c-k-e-d! I did something I never do (because it costs extra!) - I texted him. And I told him he owed me big.
3. I cannot get rid of the fruit flies in our house. I keep setting out vinegar mixed with dish soap, and I always catch about 10-20 before the effectiveness seems to wear off. And then the next time I turn around, they're swarming everywhere again. The only solution I can think of is to keep fruit out of the house for a month. Yeah, right.
   
4. I had a dentist appointment scheduled for today. Jesse was my childcare. I had to scramble to find someone to watch the three kids for me. I'm happy to say it worked out, but I disliked the scramble. Oh, and I also had no Novocaine for my filling. It was shallow... and I felt twinges, and I was scared out of my mind that it would be a bad idea, but it was okay. I didn't have to spend the rest of my day being numb and biting my tongue.
5. My internet went out early this morning. I tried to fix it several times and waited several times before calling customer service, and it turns out our modem was dead. I needed a replacement. Earliest a technician could come out was late Saturday, and um, no!! That would simply not work for me. I *NEED* my computer. I had the option of going to a service center to exchange it, which I took.
6. I usually use maps online. Don't have a handy map of the city anymore. So the address of the service center did me little good since I couldn't get a map to it.... And when I need a map and can't get one on the 'net, I usually call Jesse. Jesse, again, is unavailable. Called my sister, she mapped it out on Google for me and gave me directions. Yay for saving the day!
7. After Alex woke up from his nap, we booked it over to White Marsh to pay Comcast a visit. Standing in line was not fun. But we got our new modem. (And I reminded myself of how nice it is to have an unscheduled afternoon for critical moments such as rescuing yourself from at least two days of no internet!)
   
8. Since we were in White Marsh, we went to IKEA and got a few things, including a wall light for the kids' bedroom, since they don't have a light in their room yet and the days are getting shorter. Makes finding pajamas an interesting activity, when it's in the dark. Ate dinner at IKEA since it was dinner time and Jesse wouldn't be home anyway.
9. Got home. Got the modem online and running, but not until after having to jump through customer service automated call systems several times. And then being told that I didn't actually have to call anyway, despite being told earlier that I absolutely needed to call before I set up the replacement modem, for registration purposes. They lied to me!!! And made we wait through an automated call system nightmare!! But hey, I'm here - internet's a-working again!
10. Just when I think everything's hunky dory, Melinda has bathroom issues, and spends the next half hour screaming her head off, while I'm trying to help her, and Alex gets upset because he's hungry and wants to nurse, and Jacob gets upset because he's frustrated that he hasn't quite mastered the computer mouse yet. Oh, it was a fun end of the day, folks, yes it was.
11. *AHEM* Girl's eyes only, and even then maybe too much information!!! Yep, today was the first day of my period. Ahh, the cherry on top. The day wasn't crazy enough without adding that little extra fun.
    
12. At 8pm, Jesse waltzed into the house with a Burger King Oreo Shake. Oh yes, he owed me, and paid up well. And his timing was impeccible, because I really needed to use the bathroom but had 3 crazy upset kids clamoring for help.
    

Okay, so it wasn't a terrible day, but it sure felt crazy, with a lot of ups and downs. Haven't had such an unpredictable day in a while... And I hope I don't have another one any time soon.