Like a Brick

Last week, okay, no- it was actually the week before (Is it really almost March???) Leo was home for the week with the on and off again stomach flu. The bug bit and kept on coming back. Poor thing was dry heaving one morning for almost five hours. He stopped just as the pediatrician was available to prescribe a wee little suppository to stop all the retching... Whew! He is fine now- still a bit of a black mark and knot under his eye from the shiner. And we finally convinced him to get a bit of a trim, just some shape to the mop he insists on growing. It's only hair...

In any case... The eldest boy is home and it's about 10:00. All but the little girls are in school and I'm due in preschool at 11 for the opening of Valentines. So we're hanging out watching Bonanza, I Love Lucy, and Leave it to Beaver on the TVLand channel. Leo's never seen these shows and we normally don't watch TV during the school week- very special- You have to have a blazing fever or puking and no energy to be able to watch TV when your home sick from school. I digress, yet again-

A call comes in and it's the school receptionist (aka nurse)- Gus isn't feeling well and can I come get him. Now Leo is bordering on twelve and has recently been choosing to stay home by himself for short periods of time, he hasn't barfed in a few hours so I figure I'm good to go get the Gus man, but there is still the question of being in preschool to open valentines with Abe and Mia. How to do it all? And let us not forget that I still have Julia and Ruby in tow.

Hmmm... I grab a bowl and a towel for the possible projectile emitting from Gus on the drive home and off we go. Oh wait, back in the house for the bottle (and here is the important part)- can't go anywhere without a bottle of rice milk for Jul. (Why do they call it rice milk? shouldn't it just be rice water?) and Leo is on the phone with Raquel. As I'm walking in the door, literally opening the screen it hits me, the sudden realization that the vacillating between going back to work- (read, paid job)- or continuing to be a stay at home parent is really all for moot. Where the hell could I work that wouldn't fire me for the amount of time I would need to take off to deal with the numerous sick children, Valentine openings, Money day, Holiday performance, science fair presentation... mostly just the sick days would kill me. Who am I kidding? Like a brick it hits me. I took the call from Raquel, rambled on about my sudden inspiration and ran back out the door.

I'm met by Gus in the office with a smile on his face, backpack and coat in hand. Yeah, not so fast. We determine, he's probably just a little hungry and could stick it out at school. You know, once he determines he doesn't get to just come home and hang in front of the TV, unless there is actual vomit or a fever. Of which there is none, and that little smile told me that.

So, we ended up a little early for the Valentines opening, but it all went off just swimmingly.

And now I know. No paid job for me- at least not in the near future. Kind of weird to think about.

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