Crazy Dream of a Harried Homeschooling Mom

 I’m awake at 5:50 this morning because I just woke up in a panic due to One. Crazy. Dream.

It starts with me getting dressed and ready to leave for a weekend retreat with my Bible Study group. I have my special t-shirt on and a special button with the logo/theme for the year. Throughout the day, I find myself pushing my children to get all their school work done – a full day’s work. We’re not cutting any corners on this day. Then, my mom shows up. She’s not the simplest person to work into one’s day, by the way. But on this day, she was actually very helpful as I had to take the dog to the vet before I left for the weekend. This is not even our dog but one we are caring for to help out a friend. So, my mom goes with me to the pediatrician/veterinarian in the late, late afternoon along with the visiting dog and my children who have already pushed every one of my buttons and driven my patience into hiding as I rushed them through a full day’s school work. At about this point, I realize that it’s getting near evening and I still have a 2-hour drive to get to the retreat (which started that morning). At the vet/pediatrician’s office, I decide I should text my spiritual life director and Titus 2 mentor to let them know I will not be there until about 10:00 that night. I’m hoping that they found a ride to the retreat since they had been assigned to my car – and oh, by the way, I’m the speaker at this year’s retreat!  AAAAAHHHHHH!

Just before leaving with my mom, visiting dog, and 4 children to go to the vet/pediatrician’s office, a woman pulls up in a sports car at our house needing to talk to my youth minister husband.  Now I begin to really panic. I’m exhausted.  I am still trying to get everything in order to leave for this weekend retreat. AND, I know in my heart that I should not leave this recently separated, parent of a couple kids in our youth group in my house alone with my husband for any length of time! But, things. Must. Get. Done! So, I press on.

At the vet/pediatrician’s office, the dog gets seen rather quickly, but they don’t have the correct medication. While they are looking for the medication, one of my sons (who is mad at me for making him do an entire day’s school work) breaks his glasses and loses my phone. I have to call someone and tell them that I just cannot make it to the retreat tonight or maybe not at all. While the last vestiges of my sanity slip away, the vet/pediatrician finally brings out the proper medication and someone in the waiting room miraculously works out the phone debacle. The boy’s glasses are still broken. Oh, well. I’ll deal with that later. All this time, I’m actually glad that my mom is there to help me with the chaos which she wonderfully is not adding to today.

Panicked, I rush home to find that all is well with my husband and the needy mother/woman trying to make time with my man, only to figure out that it is Saturday, and yes, I did make my children do an entire day’s worth of school work.

Whew, it’s good to wake up sometimes – and find out it’s only Wednesday.