My Week--A Play by Play

Sunday: Woke up at 5:15 with Wyatt. Fasted. Churched. Ate some mui delicioso roast-potatoes-carrots (sooo good after fasting). Went to the Wilkey Extended Family Home Evening at Grandma Muriel's warm and cozy Magna abode and let the kids get all rosy cheeked and exhausted running around the backyard in the darkness (goodbye Daylight Savings Time! Although I'd already said my goodbyes that morning at 5:15 with Wyatt).

Monday: Woke up at 5:19 with Wyatt. Took the kids to Marv Jensen Rec Center for their "Off Track Camp" ($35 bucks, Mon through Fri, 10:30-2:30. Great way to yank the kids away from the television set the last week off track. Also good way for Mommy to have the peace and quiet necessary to locate her marbles and put them back inside her head.) Took Ethan to GameStop where he purchased a VERY cool new game called "Little Big Planet" for the PS3, his reward for getting a 4.0 his first term in Jr. High. (Go Ethan!) That evening, attended Jonas and Elise's first piano recital with their new teacher, a very professional type whose students are all much more advanced than Jonas or Elise. But both kids did a great job and looked darling to boot. (And no, I don't have any photos!! I took video, but it's refusing to upload. Arggh!) Forrest spent most of the recital walking around Riverton Music with Wyatt, trying to prevent him from dismantling the trombones or taking a purloined drumstick to a $30,000 Steinway.

Tuesday: Election Day!! Woke up at 5:25 with Wyatt. Went to the gym. Watched lots of entertaining breathless reportage on the television, etc. etc. But then my day got derailed by a very distressing Facebook exchange between some folks on my Facebook wall (will not go into it here), which led me to the conclusion that 1. I am spending too much time online and 2. I can not control anyone, least of all people whom I haven't seen since my late teens and 3. I have enough going on in my life that I can't be spending my emotional energy on said people. So I deleted my Facebook account. Who knows if I'll pop back on eventually, but for right now I think the whole thing was a good reminder to me that sometimes you've gotta reign it in, baby. Forrest was out of town on top of it all (he always helps me keep things in perspective) but after a few husbandly phone calls, some election related, some Facebook related, by the end of the night my spirits were slowly climbing back out of the pit of despair. At 9:00 p.m. I called the kids around me to see history being made.


It was an extremely cool moment, for me and for them. I hope they remember it.

Wednesday: Woke up with Wyatt at 5:35. Cleaned the dang house. Graded papers. Finished up proofing the last little bit of Irreantum. Ate Halloween candy. Recovered from Tuesday-induced hangover. Stayed inside.

Thursday: Woke up with Wyatt at 5:45. Prepped for class. Finished grading papers. Went to Old Navy to buy myself one pair of jeans, but instead bought myself two sweaters, two tank tops, Wyatt two pairs of pants, Elise two tops, and Jonas and Ethan one long-sleeved shirt a piece. Wondered why I keep running out of money one week before auto-deposit hits the Mountain America account. Ordered Papa John's pizza to feed my offspring and inlaws (thanks inlaws!) who'd be babysitting said offspring since Forrest wouldn't be home before dark. Drove to SLC, taught my students all about "PLOT" (important takeaway: Only Conflict Is Interesting . . . hence, one could conceivably write a short story about Tuesday, but probably not Wednesday.) Drove home on I-15 whilst eating a Southern Style Chicken Sandwich from Mickey D's (I feel so much better about myself when there's no mayonnaise involved). Arrived home to find much joy awaiting: husband! Wyatt ready for bed! TiVoed "Office" AND "Thirty Rock!" Oh, the bliss.

Friday: Stayed cocooned in my bed until 8:00, since the dearest husband ever known to womankind got up with Wyatt at 5:48 and even got Ethan off to school. Went to the gym, did yoga. (The last 10 minutes of yoga class, you lay on the floor with a towel over your eyes and listen to twinkly music and a very sincere woman telling you to relax. It is worth every penny of the $60 I pay to Lifetime Fitness Corporation each month.) Brought Jonas's lunch (left in the backseat of the van) to Marv Jensen Fitness center to a very hungry Jonas. More Irreantum proofing. Made taco casserole on one side of the kitchen island while Forrest made a homemade apple pie on the other side and we listened to new Offspring songs on the iPod. Had dinner (Jonas even ate THREE BITES of the casserole!), puttered, put Wyatt down, left the kids home so Forrest and I could go watch Casino Royale on my parents' home theater system (Forrest has big plans for the new Bond movie next weekend and it was IMPERATIVE that I see Casino Royale in preparation.) And I must say, Daniel Craig is composed entirely of sinew, testosterone, and ice.

Saturday: Today, of course! Slept till 7:00 (even though Forrest was up with Wyatt at 5:52). Cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. Oh, the cleaning. The discarded shoes, the little lego pieces and Pokemon cards, the dust on the blinds and black furniture, the gunk in the bottom of the tootbrush cups, the pencil drawings on the walls (thank you Mr. Wyatt). The toilets, the pee. The Halloween candy wrappers. It's never ending, I tell you. Entropy!! But after a crazy barrage of homemaking, and a little mean-Mom "You can't tell me you think this room is actually CLEAN!" lectures by moi . . . the house is in good shape. For now. So after the crazy barrage, took Elise to get her hair trimmed (NOT cut, heavens), went to lunch at Zupas (fun! although the lady put too much dressing on my salad, but whatchagonnado), came home to a sleeping Wyatt, and laid in my bed UNDER THE COVERS at 2:00 in the afternoon (I was cold!) and read Courtney Kendrick's blog-book for a solid hour. Made me smile. And now I'm blogging. And feeding Wyatt Sun Chips so I can finish. Have I told you he's obsessed with giraffes? And brontosauruses? Something about the necks I'm guessing.

At any rate, this has gone on long enough. Now Wyatt wants me to read him a book about (you guessed it) giraffes. And didn't I say about an hour ago I spend too much time online? See? Told you.