my birthday

I had a bad night, again. This time I was in panic that I was getting sick again and then I would get David sick because we failed to keep our waterbottles separate, and it was all my fault, and then I was trying to find my way down the yellow brick road, but it kept going in circles.

7:25 I get up a half hour later than usual because David sleeps in. Yeah! Oatmeal with mango for breakfast, and once everyone is up I open my presents. I get a popcorn popper. Yeah!

8:00 Of course, we had to try out the popcorn popper right away. It immediately took me back to high school years--the hope, the anticipation, the joyful explosion that is popcorn from an air popper. The doctor recommended David eat popcorn to increase his fiber intake, so I'm hoping for lots of popcorn in the near future.

8:45 I'm running late, as always. A friend was just telling me it takes her two hours in the morning to get everyone out the door. It always takes me five more minutes than I leave time for.

9:02 We show up at my sister's house to drop off Rose and pick up Isabelle. Isabelle is a neighbor's child who happens to be in David's class in preschool while her brother goes to the same school as the big kids. So, carpooling makes lots of sense. Next year, praise be, all four of the cousins will be at the same school.

9:15 We listen to my friend Becky read Swallows and Amazons on c.d., which is David's latest obsession and delightful. Then I drop David and Isabelle off at preschool.

9:30 I get a massage. I get to hang out with my friend Jane and chat. It's two for one. I usually get a massage every two weeks, but what with teaching Rose's class, it's been almost 2 months. I leave the table able to move my neck.

11:00 I admire all my facebook happy birthday postings. It's so much fun. Then I write poetry for the first time in six weeks. I feel rusty, but I know it won't get any easier the longer I wait. My draft makes no sense, which is a step better than making total sense and being flat and boring.

11:50 Pick up David at preschool, make lunch for both of us, help David redo the sofa fort, read BossyPants over lunch and laugh a lot, assure David that we will clean up the spilled cereal after my nap.

12:45 nap. Every day at around this time I have a half hour nap.

1:15 load and run the dishwasher, load and run the laundry, tidy the bathroom so David and I can clean it.

1:30 David requests a tea party. We have a lovely tea party with the blue flowered china set with cups the right size for a doll. David suggests bread and butter. I agree. I suggest it's time to go clean the bathroom. David says not yet. David suggests I read him a story. I agree. I suggest it's really time to go clean the bathroom. David says another story first. We read One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, and I convince him to read several of the words.

3:10 I am, once again, five minutes late leaving the house. We race to my sister's house where I dump the car and walk to school.

3:25 It's a beautiful sunny day, and we hang out on the playground with lots of other parents and kids. I chat with parents. David and Rose play with kids. We are all very happy.

4:15 But I stay at the playground too long, and we have to rush home to get to that dang bathroom. Both Rose and David protest.

5:10 Rose practices the piano. David cleans the upstairs bathroom. I talk to friends wishing me a happy birthday.

5:45 Whoohoo the fish fry! I had no idea hush puppies straight out of the fryer could taste so good, and the cherry pie, hmmhuh. My friend Cecile happened to be throwing a party on my birthday, so we just joined forces. All the kids run off and play. I love Cecile's friends' band--Mostly Water.

8:15 We start bedtime routine late, but it goes relatively smoothly. I do the dishes, and we try to watch Law & Order U.K. together, but they are all reruns. I watch So You Think You Can Dance which is dumb, and then take a bath with the book BossyPants, which is great.

10:00 I reread all my Facebook birthday wishes and feel very happy.