Whippin'

Some things in life are just a whippin' lately.

When your two kids think it's fun to wrestle and you KNOW one of them is going to get hurt. You say, "No wrestling" which lasts all of 2.5 seconds only to hear someone moments later screaming, "OUCH!" but you have to bite your tongue on the "I told you so's" ... that's a whippin!

When you realize that we're supposed to get 2-4 inches of snow tomorrow... and you're supposed to have a handyman showing up to weatherstrip 2 doors which means that your doors will need to be open for quite a while... so now you'll have to reschedule so that your heating bill isn't through the roof... that's a whippin'!

When you realize that there's a patch of earth where the grass just won't grow ... and your dogs are running through it EVERY TIME you let them out to go "wee" which means that they need to be hosed off with warm water EVERY TIME you let them IN... yeah, THAT is a WHIPPIN' indeed!

When you get boxed in on a 4 lane road and you just want to get past the 99 year old man wearing the plaid fedora so you can at least make the next light while going no more than 5 over the speed limit because travelling 15 BELOW the speed limit by being stuck behind slow poke and his girlfriend to the right... that's a whippin'!

When your son asks you -- seriously -- at the dinner table, "What's for breakfast, lunch and dinner tomorrow" WHILE you're still eating tonight's dinner... that's a whippin'!

While you've got a to do list a mile long and about an inch of time to accomplish it... that's a whippin'!

When your son wants to play football and you realize it's a time commitment... only to realize it's THREE days a week for two hours at a time... WOW... WHAT A WHIPPIN' (for him AND me). I feel GUILTY for not wanting to stay but... that's SIX HOURS of my life just spent on my butt ??? I see no point but I hate having the guilt of not wanting to even stay. Isn't that horrible? Should I play that song, "Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?"

Then you have another son (5 years old) that is starting up HIS t-ball practices this week and you CAN'T drop and run on him - parents need to be present... how to make it work? Schedules are going to be a whippin'!

When you don't get a good night's sleep, wake up with a headache and dry eyes... and the day doesn't seem to get much better and NOTHING gets accomplished. That's a whippin'

When you didn't get anything remotely fun in the mail today...

When you thought you were going to get a new vehicle (a Ford Expedition) only to find out that SOMEONE thinks they guzzle too much gas so you decide to keep yours (knowing that you'll have a 10 year old (possibly in cleats, mud, whatever) crawling over into the back seats every day so that he has a place to sit because you'll have two tethered car seats in the seats leaving him no room...)... but then are told, "No, we need a new family car. What about a minivan?" When you'd sworn off minivans assuming anyone who drives one has been de-sex'ed (no offense -- just a stigma I had planted in my brain). So I wrap my brain around the THOUGHT of ME driving one of THOSE! (Gasp!) I start digging online to find the features I want... find them. I go look at a Chrysler Town & Country and a Toyota Sienna. The Chrysler T&C is ultimately the one I really like for a plethora of reasons. He decides he likes the Honda better. Has he even gone to see them? No. Has he driven one? No. "They hold their resale value better." But, if you are the type--like moi--that holds onto their cards for like -- EVER -- who CARES what the resale value is because you will NEVER get anything out of them after 7-9 years! So then a couple of days ago, at a red light I make the STUPID suggestion (out loud, mind you), "Why don't I just go get the 2nd row bench taken out of my car and have them install two captain's chairs instead?" Of course, he LOVES this idea. (I call him my "Jewish husband" -- again, no offense to anyone Jewish... I think more people should be tightwads like he is but sometimes --like this -- it's just too much.) So, today I ask, whom shall I call about this conversion? "I don't know, ask my dad." I do. He gave me a few leads, the three I looked up and called are all out of business. So, I called the dealership where I have had it serviced. They won't suggest any customization businesses because it would decrease the infrastructural safety and integrity of the car to modify it that way and they can't even suggest it. Big red flag. I get in touch with a good friend of mine and he suggests another company. I call them and they say, "Can't do it. No way." I let the hub-meister know this and he said, "Call the dealership." I just let him know that it'd already been done... and delivered their message. So that leg work for just that result... yeah, that was a whippin'! And for now, I just want to get two new front tires on my car (which it needs badly) and to just deal with the nightmare of another vehicle in a few months... I'm just whipped at the idea of anything to do with a new car now. WHIPPED!

When you had your house clean on Valentine's day... but since prepping for the little munchkin's arrival calls for bringing in every spare Rubbermaid tub in the attic full of little people stuff which has, in turn, left hills, mountains, mounds and piles of baby STUFF everywhere...and you're a clutter-be-gone kinda girl... THAT is a nail biting, mood altering, whippin'!

BUT...

When you realize... that you're healthy... your kids are healthy.... you're surrounded by so many things to be thankful for... you have a pantry full of food to fill your belly, your children are smart, educated, witty and adorable... your dogs are just too sweet for their own good (even if you find out one has a spring in her butt and clean jump straight up onto the kitchen island where you thought was the ONLY place that was safe to put food you didn't want her to get in)... you are getting things accomplished slowly... it's hard to NOT just kinda take it all in stride and say this is a day when I just had to roll with the punches. Live ain't always beautiful (Gary Alan song) but it's still a gift and today, I didn't treat it like one. I surely hope that tomorrow I can just put on my big girl panties and deal with it! Whatever comes my way! Tomorrow will be a good day. We will get much accomplished... tomorrow will be better than today because this too shall pass. Thank you Lord for the promise of a better tomorrow!