The Second Shift

If you haven't read The Second Shift, you should. I can't remember (or be bothered to google) the author, but it's about how women and men divide up the household responsibilities.

Let me tell you that after shopping for and cooking Thanksgiving dinner for twelve, hosting a gathering including two overnight people, going through the anniversary of the miscarriage, and having four court dates (one in Baton Rouge, when I only have childcare in Paulina) in four days, I was stressed. Add to that a broken dishwasher on Sunday morning and keeping the house clean (which I have done), and the stress level becomes unbearable. Oh, right, and Loki's Christening is Saturday. I kept the invite list for it small and family-based, but it still means keeping the house clean. The Christmas tree is not up, either.

So when I called my husband yesterday and told him work was running late and I was still in Baton Rouge and still had work to do, ALL I wanted in the whole wide world was to have him say, "yes, darling, I'll pick up the kids right away. Whatever you need." I didn't want to explain, to discuss my parents' attitudes about keeping the kids later than usual, to discuss the details. I just wanted this one thing off my plate so I could call the DA's office about a plea deal, without a crying baby in the background.

"Whatever you need" is not how it went down.

I'm still stressed, tired, and I burnt my coffee this morning (which, apparently, is what happens if you fail to put water in the coffee pot...opps). A major project just came across my desk at work, and I need to deal with it TODAY. I was expecting it, but maybe not today. Oh, and because of a childcare issue this week, I'm working at home on this major project. Excellent. :(

Etcetera.