It figures.
On a professional level, things are going remarkably well. Next week, Chris and I celebrate nine years of life at our own firm. Nine years. And we’re still going strong – in fact, we’re expanding. I am so proud of us.
My tax blog is getting a lot of good press. After a busy tax season, I expected a bit of a slowdown in interest – that didn’t happen. I’ve landed a few great gigs, including an interview just this morning for CNNMoney.com (I’ll link when it hits the net).
I’m still working on my tax book, writing for the Legal… things are great. Super. Fabulous.
So it would follow, of course, that things are verging on falling apart at home. After a particularly stressful couple of weeks, Chris and I have really been focusing on spending more time with the family. Saturday, we spent most of the day gardening (like their mother, the girls love to play in the dirt). On Sunday, we grilled out and did “fizzy, foamy science” (photos to follow). Not quite a lazy weekend but fairly low key. Kids rested up, things winding down, all is right with the world?
Not exactly.
Last week, Katie had an accident. Strike that. Katie had two accidents. She’s six. It was most unusual. But I chalked it up to worries about school ending soon.
But then today, I arrived at preschool to find both kids in different clothes.
Ames had an accident. This, I find, beyond bizarre. Age-wise, Amy was the first of the kids to potty train (she was under age 2) and I could count on one hand the total number of accidents she’s had since then.
Charlie had a blow out. As in clothes in a plastic bag blow out. He has been progressing nicely at school with respect to going potty – so much so that his teacher didn’t even know that he won’t go poop on the potty at home.
All this in the space of a week.
And yes, I understand that this must mean that something isn’t right at home. Why else would all of this happen? But we’ve really been trying to do more outdoor time, more together time, more early bedtimes. I’m usually gone one evening per week – and that’s the night SuperNanny comes. I even scheduled my CLE speech so that it wouldn’t affect anyone’s schedule; it was on the same night as “date night” and SuperNanny came as usual.
All I can figure is that concerns about the end of the year might be sneaking in… Amy graduates from preschool next Friday. She’ll be joining Katie at public school. Katie has apparently been making some noise about Amy coming to “her” school. Charlie will no longer be going to school with Amy, since he’s staying at preschool.
But the whole thing stinks. I have been so careful about scheduling my time around the kids’ time. I understand that they come first. That’s why it sucks that just as things are picking up for me, the kids seem to be freaking out.
Unfair and unfair. And yes, call me selfish if you want. I can take it. It’s nothing I haven’t said to myself all afternoon.
