Murphy's Law

Why is it that things usually run pretty smoothly when my hubby is around, but the minute he leaves, things start going to hell in a hand basket? The timing of this TDY couldn't be more inconvenient. Not his fault, and I'm quick to say that because it's true, but it still doesn't change the fact that it's inconvenient for me and I find myself searching for my happy place and wanting to scream "Serenity now!" at random moments of the day.

First of all, I feel as if I need to clone myself in order to get the boys everywhere they need to be, especially this time of year. There's an activity here and a practice there... a meeting here and a birthday party there. I can't imagine what I'd do if I had more than two children. Moms with more than two kids, I salute you! How do you do it without losing your mind?

Our home is all decorated for the holidays, and I love it! It's really beautiful, even if I do say so myself, and I do say so myself. My husband always takes care of the outdoor lights and this year was no different. He did a fantastic job and the lights look great... er.. um... that is they LOOKED great. Two days ago my kids and I were off to church for a Christmas event in the late afternoon and I plugged in the outdoor lights so they'd be on when it got dark. I never leave indoor lights on when I'm going to be away from home, but I'm comfortable with leaving the outdoor lights on. So... I didn't actually look to see if the lights were lit when I left because it was still very much daytime and I just wasn't paying attention. When the boys and I got home from our event, I noticed the outdoor Christmas lights weren't lit. What's up with that? I thought perhaps someone unplugged them without my knowledge. Nope, they were still plugged in. They just no longer work. I'm sure there's a blown fuse somewhere, but I haven't had time to check into the problem. Will work on that one sometime today.

The other nice little surprise is the fact that the boys' toilet is completely stopped up, backed up, clogged up... however you wanna say it... it still comes down to the fact that it won't flush. How did I discover this? My youngest informed me that every time he uses the toilet in his bathroom, it won't flush. "How long has it been this way?" I ask my son. "Oh, a couple of days I think," says Little Man. What? He's just now waiting to tell me the toilet doesn't flush after TWO DAYS? You can imagine my utter despair and aggravation, right? Thankfully the water was only slightly yellow and not brown. But there was LOTS of paper in the toilet bowl! Oh joy! I plunged and plunged, and then I plunged some more, and I still can't get that doggone toilet to clear, but now I have toilet water on the bathroom floor to clean up in addition to a stopped up, backed up, clogged up toilet. Lord, give me the strength not to lose it.

I'm trying to find my happy place again, and when I finally do, I'll try to stay there until my husband comes home. Serenity now!