Monday, April 9
It would have been an outdoor picnic, if not for allergies!
Being back in the office after a lovely 5-day Spring Break/Easter weekend is really no fun at all. Good thing my Lenten ban on blogging during work hours has been lifted!
My mind feels quite distanced from the buzz of work, after taking Wednesday through Friday of last week off. I needed it -- we have been straddling ridiculous levels of politics and nonsense at my office (in fact, one coworker is, at this very moment, running up and down the hall behind me, trying to complete a task for the Prez, I guess, but... ugh. annoying AND stressy). I was free to Not Think About it during my days off, and that was a mental break I greatly appreciated. I don't know how much office politics you deal with on a daily basis. I, myself, have never dealt with as much as I'm dealing with now. It's not directly related to my job, thankfully -- it's upper executive level stuff, like Org Charts and Restructuring and who reports to whom, hiring and firings, and why won't they tell us "X," (even though we already know through the grapevine) and "your budget has been frozen," and all kinds of stuff -- really. All going on at the same time, and all without any end in sight.
Never mind your actual work deadlines. Hahahaha. (That program might get cut, anyway. But might not. So do your best! Wheee!)
It makes for draining workdays and the desire for a glass of wine most every night. I typically resist but I probably deserve it.
So during our break, we took trips to the park (AJ rode his bike a full mile! And we're still on training wheels at age 7.5, which is another topic, but I'm proud of him), did errands, ate more than our share of french fries at lunches/dinners out, and on Friday the kids and I braved the Georgia Aquarium with all the rest of Atlanta's living humans. I knew it would be crowded, the last day of many districts' Spring Breaks, but I kept telling myself, "We'll make the best of it. We'll just make the best of it." And I was rewarded with kids who behaved, stayed close, didn't whine (even when it was lunchtime and MY tummy was growling, and we had to wait in epic lines), and were just really, truly cooperative. They didn't even go for the most expensive items in the Gift Shop, but were content with a 3D bookmark (AJ) and a little fish-shaped keychain (KT). I think it was a day that they'll remember fondly, and I will, too. I was proud of myself for going alone; I would have liked to experience it together with DH (he was working that day), but honestly I don't think he would have had as much fun because of the crowds. Is not a big fan. And I really wanted to go during Spring Break, so I had to make it happen.
Unfortunately, we have also had another situation brewing. Our dog has not been well. In fact, he's been in the hospital now for 5 full days and nights, and we don't know what's going to happen next. It's been hard to continue to put on the "vacation" face for the kids while we know a decision could be imminent. And we also want to give their first experience of old age/pet death the dignity and life-lesson attention it deserves. I'm waiting for a call from DH with an update. The dog is 15 and a half, and the end has loomed now for at least a year, as his eyesight has gone, and his hearing, and his arthritic hips have made it hard for him to navigate our house. This new issue (vestibular disease, if you're interested) has brought extra difficulty. The problem is, he doesn't seem to be in pain at the moment (we saw him Saturday), he just can't walk. I know that if an animal his age can't do his business on his own - and he can't right now - it's probably time, but oh, it's hard to say that it's time.
Updated to add: in case anyone Googles vestibular disease and happens upon this page, the doctors said he must have also had something else going on because he wasn't responding to the antibiotics, and vestibular disease usually is treatable. They speculate a mild stroke or a tumor.
On the bright side, my house is clean, our taxes are filed, and laundry is done. We had a really nice Easter Sunday, with plenty of candy, thumbs-up on the baskets, an easy church (and parking) experience including the Hallelujah chorus, and lunch at a restaurant with no wait. Oh, and we had a floor picnic of BLTs and deviled eggs for supper. :)
What's been going on with you?
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4 comments:
I'm sorry about your dog. That's a long time to have a pet and I know it will be hard on all of you when his time comes.
Sounds like you had a good break. Our attitude can make such a different going in to things like the aquarium, right? But sometimes it is tough to stay positive--way to go!
Our Easter was fine. We decided to go to 7:00 a.m. Mass to avoid the crowds. I was cussing when I got up at 5:15, but it was nice to be home and out of church clothes by 8:15. And if we had gone to 9:00 Mass we would have had to be at church by 8:00 to get seats and then sat at church for two hours. Torture. We spent the rest of the day with extended family in Arlington. It rained, so we had 9 kids and 2 dogs and a bunch of adults stuck inside a house with hardwood floors. It was not peaceful. ;) But we all had a good time and were home by 8:00, so not all bad.
Hope work is better this week!
So sorry to hear about your dog! We had to put our 17-year old dog down a few weeks before Christmas when she became unable to walk, even on grass or carpet, and stopped eating her dog food. One of my friends posted the following quote that I appreciated on my FB post about the dog: “If you have a dog, you will most likely outlive it; to get a dog is to open yourself to profound joy and, prospectively, to equally profound sadness. - Marjorie Garber”
I got some good advice about how to talk with the kids about it on the city-data parenting forum (http://www.city-data.com/forum/parenting/1442514-how-explain-putting-pet-down-young-3.html) (I’m Scientist Mom on there- even though I’m no longer a scientist). The kids did not end of having much trouble with it though; my husband took it the hardest by far. Mostly, I can’t believe how many crumbs, etc. I have to clean up off the floor now that the dog is gone. I never realized the kids were so messy or that the dog was helping out so much.
We are going to start looking for a new dog (or maybe even 2) in 2 weeks –after our houseguests for S’s first communion leave. I can’t wait!
One more positive note: Hooray for you taking both kids to the aquarium by yourself! I find that kind of trip difficult. You should be proud that you took on that challenge and be proud of your kids for rising to the situation.
Glad to hear that you had a nice Easter!
Shannon, thank you so much for the quote and the link. The kids have been okay so far and we've tried to give them an indication that Napoleon might not ever get better. I know the 7-y-o is processing it, and is sad. I also know my husband will take it the hardest. I laugh about the crumbs. This week while Nap's been boarded, I have definitely had to make friends with my broom and dustpan! I like how you said, the dog "helped out." But it makes me even more sad, at the same time. :(
I only had a couple of pets as kids. One died when I was at school, and we'd only had her a few weeks, and the other died while I was away at college. This is so hard.
Oh, I'm so sorry to hear about your dog being sick. It's so hard to have a pet who is so sick - it's hard to be the one to have to make that call, I'm sure.
You sound like you've had a wonderful spring break anyway - and hooray for the aquarium trip! I always feel so proud of myself when I take one child out like that, let alone two! Sounds like a great day. :)
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