The Po Show

Time off for good behavior

I felt like I got released from prison today! It was the first day since last Saturday that I've been able to run around on my own and get stuff done. Matthew got sick last Friday and has been housebound ever since.

He seemed to be getting better so on Tuesday I sent him to school. I was putting together my ebay packages to ship, started struggling with my cable modem connection, limped through a call to tech support, and finally was ready to leave at 10:30 (for a quick dash about before picking up Tessa at morning school to take her to afternoon school). Then the phone rang and the school nurse informed me that Matthew felt very dizzy and "didn't feel he was able to learn." Okay, I headed right over to pick him up and take him home.

I let him rest again on Wednesday for good measure, but by evening he was jumping around with Tessa playing "bunt ups," a game invented by Tessa in which they would jump as high as they could from the foot of my bed and land face down onto the bed. "You are so going to school tomorrow," I told him.

Then of course Thursday was a snow day (earlier in the week they weren't even reporting snow), so we stayed home all day again.

But today I was free! Free to: drop off both kids, go to the grocery store, to the bank, to Trader Joe's, to Gymboree (FINALLY got to see the new line and get my bunny purse!), to home, to Target, to the movie theatre (needed to buy a gift card for Tessa's school fund raiser, but they were not open yet). All in two hours and fifteen minutes.

Then off to pick up Tessa, drop her off, to the the YWCA to inquire about summer camp, back to Target and the movie theatre, to the post office, to home, to ToyrUs. All in two hours and fifteen minutes.

It is stunning to me how much I can accomplish when I'm alone. And how stunning that freedom tastes like a trip to Target.