TheMommyBlog

Thursday, November 19, 2009 Family

These are the days it takes the entire family to pull together…

It’s my ex-husband’s birthday today, and the family tradition for as long as we’ve had kids has been to go out for a big sushi dinner. So, today when I picked up the kids, they were fired up for some serious raw salmon. My ex and I had just spoken and agreed that neither of us could afford a big night out, and that we’d have a quiet dinner at home, maybe get a cake from Cold Stone.

Needless to say, they were very disappointed. They were cautious in how they expressed it, because they knew why. “But Mom, it’s a birthday!”

“I know. As soon as I can pay the water bill, we’ll think about celebrating out. This is what Daddy wants, ok?”

“Is the water bill more than a dinner at sushi?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Oh.”

When we got home it was like the poppy field scene from The Wizard of OZ. Logan pitched face-down on the couch, and Daphne and I snuggled up on my bedspread while I was talking to My Guy, getting ready to come home from China. By the time we hung up, my daughter was so comfortably curled into my body that I let myself drift away with her.

At five o’clock a piercing wail shot through the house. “NOOOOOOOOOO.”

Oh, boy. Logan’s pissed he fell asleep, and now won’t have time to finish his homework before seeing Daddy. This may seem odd to you, but when someone in my family gets upset, it can take a little while to calm down. Never figured that out. Anyway.

Thirty minutes later, Daddy was on his way over to help with homework and to have dinner or whatever we could pull together. I tried everything. “You work better and faster with me beside you, so I’ll stay right here.”

“NOOOO.”

“Okay, let’s take some deep breaths.”

“NOOOO.”

“How ‘bout we see what you have left to do.”

“I LEFT MY MATH HOMEWORK AT SCHOOL.”

“How ‘bout we start with the rest and I write a note for your teacher? You know, at orientation they said that if we ever had a special occasion or unusual circumstance during the week, I could write a note for you and they would give you an extra day to complete your homework. It’s Dad’s birthday. You deserve to spend time with him. I will write you a note.”

Small voice. “Okay.”

When Dad got there, they all crowded around to ask why we couldn’t go for sushi. So much for my explanation. And then one of them said, “I didn’t eat lunch today because I was so excited about going that I wanted to have enough room in my tummy.”

Hammer blow to the solar plexus.

“Tell you what: why don’t you all go with Daddy to sushi, I’ll stay home, and you can come back for your book bags and to collect your things. Daddy would love for you to sleep at his house tonight.”

They finally agreed, though upset that I wasn’t coming. They know they are going away for eight days on Sunday and have been clinging to me like barnacles. We got them shoed and jacketed and out the door.

I sighed and looked around the kitchen. Good Christ, people have sent me a lot of stuff to review. Piles in the kitchen, piles by my desk. This has to end. First thing to do was to alter the text on my web site. I no longer advertise my willingness to look at things. I said that I am overwhelmed and only want to hear about kids and women’s revolutionary items, or chocolate. Then I looked around the kitchen for something to eat.

There. In the cupboard. Several boxes of cake and frosting mix from Naturally Nora’s. I’d hardly gone through half of the first samples when they sent another last week. Criminy. I am going to have an ass the size of Wyoming if this keeps up.

Well, I decided, while they are gone, I will bake a cake. And I did. It is cooling on the stove as I type, and soon it will be time to frost it.

I’ll put candles in it and tell the kids that I planned to stay home all along to make this special surprise. I need to see them smile.