Circumstances tonight were grim. Rob was unexpectedly called out of town. He’ll be gone all week. My one and only volunteering effort had a major requirement tonight. I’m still sick. Halloween, with its accompanying glories, is but a week away, and there remains a huge party to be planned and costumes to be created…

Last minute help arrived in the form of one of my best friend’s daughters, tenth grade and prime for babysitting, and, because it was us (and because said friend is part of the large volunteer effort, which involves running part of our local ski program) her dad was willing to drive her. It was a little fraught for her as a babysitting job–the kids have known her for years and probably, um, challenged her authority–but she didn’t care. I felt awful though. The house was disgraceful (seriously) dinner pitiful and the kids wound up from a day of video games and half-made halloween costumery, and I lost track of time and literally dropped everything and ran. On the way out, I realized I’d forgotten to tell her to have the kids make their lunches. I was opening the car door, and thought, well, I’ll just do it…

And then I thought, no. That’s the last thing I’m going to want to do. There will be a massive clean up when I get home of all the stuff we did all day, I still feel sick, i won’t have eaten and I’ll have to be the wake-up breakfast girl, which I suck at. She won’t mind having them do it, and they SHOULD do it.

And I ran back in and added it to the list, and now it’s done, and instead of cursing and packing lunches, I am sitting here blogging and planning to eat what’s left of the macaroni and cheese.

Which is at least better than it would have been.