Back upstairs. Another quick bath. New clothes.

Back to the kitchen, I continued making the lunches and ensuring each boy had enough milk to get them through the day. The camera was charged and packed. Extra diapers and wipes were stowed. Random particles in the van were cleaned. Stroller – check. The Cat’s shoes – check.

Meanwhile, the Cat was being nasty. Spliggle was getting into his trains. Spliggle was walking the wrong way. Spliggle had to go play with something that wasn’t green. I took Spliggle upstairs. No! Spliggle has to be downstairs, or the Cat has to be upstairs. The Cat just couldn’t stop pestering his little brother. He said he didn’t want to get his clothes on. He didn’t want to go to the aquarium, even though it was with his favorite people in the world – Grandma and Grandpa.

We realized he was nervous that I wouldn’t be with him. This was a surprise to me, since he constantly complains that Daddy isn’t around, and Go Away Mommy! On occasion, he’ll snuggle with me, but typically Daddy is the one who gets the attention. Daddy reads the bedtime story every night.

Last night, the Cat requested that Mommy read the bedtime story. We had told him earlier about today’s plans, so he apparently was already mulling over the concept that I wouldn’t be with him. Husband told me that he had mentioned something about someone getting lost. Maybe he thought he was losing me.

It is flattering, but surprising, too.

We knew that once he saw his grandparents, he would probably forget about my absence, but in the meantime, we had a scared misbehaving boy.

Time for them to go!

He poured milk on Spliggle’s head.

Back upstairs. This time, I just sponged off his head. I told Husband to tell my mother that even though he has a sticky head, he was bathed and I attempt to keep my son clean.

Time for them to go!

“Oh, where are Spliggle’s shoes?” my husband asked.

Um. Yeah. That. Hmm. The whole purchasing-shoes-for-Spliggle is an errand that had been pushed around a lot. It is hard enough to purchase shoes for the Cat, much less have the Cat in that environment while Spliggle gets some. (On the other hand, maybe if the younger brother gets it, the older brother will want it. Hmmm. Maybe I will try that.)

My husband was stunned that our youngest son didn’t own shoes.

“Um. I will go upstairs and see if I can find something that will work.” I stuffed some of the Cat’s old sandals onto Spliggle’s large feet. He toddled around, falling every few steps.

Well it is a start. We’ll go get some “real” shoes in time for school starting in a couple weeks.

Time for them to go!

Husband came back a few minutes later – he forgot the directions to the place. But he had the membership cards. So that is good.

Time for them to go!

I had scheduled a pedicure and brow-waxing appointment for 10:30. I didn’t have quite as much time as I would have liked to get ready. (What was I thinking with a 10:30 appointment? I should have done it for the afternoon so I could have gone back to bed!) Nonetheless, I threw something together (got to look semi-hot for going to the spa, but not impede the services being done.)

Darn. I forgot to get cash earlier.

I headed towards the only drive-through ATM in the area, which is a bit out of the way. I forgot that I could do a walk-up because I don’t have kids in the car to be fried or stolen. That ATM was broken. I realized I was free to do a walk-up, so drove to another bank across the street. A strange guy was there, but he had a bank uniform so I guess he was a security guard. I got my money and ran.

Yesterday I had a doctor’s appointment* about the left-side pain / cyst, so Daddy took the kids to the park using the van. When I had Husband’s car, I thought about filling it up since I saw it had only about a quarter-tank left. But, I decided that he would probably want me to come get the kids so he could go to work, so I instead went straight to the park to meet up with him. He’ll fill it up on his way home, I figured.

But it was at a quarter of a tank when I started it this morning. After going down the street to the end of our neighborhood, it had jumped down to an eighth of a tank. I started to panic a little bit, but figured there would be enough there to get me to the spa. Nonetheless, I turned the A/C down and tried to coast as much as possible. I am sure these actions had a negligible effect.

The last stoplight before the spa was very long. I could hear the gas being eaten. I approached the parking garage to discover that men on ladders were blocking the entrance. Painting. So I drove around to the back entrance. Is that a monthly-pass entrance only? No, but the sun was hitting the area in such a way that I found it difficult to descend into the garage (it looped downwards). I hoped I wouldn’t hit the wall. I didn’t.

Whew! I arrived to my appointment 10 minutes late, but it didn’t seem to matter.

Eyebrow lady indicated I had waited a bit too long between appointments. Bad me.

Pedicure lady was thankfully quiet today. Sometimes I like the chit-chat, but today I wanted to just relax. It was nice. I thought about ordering some champagne or something, but decided in the end to just sip some lemon-water.

I went for blue toes!

The next part of my day was a series of errands, the first of which was filling the gas tank. I wanted to combine “relaxation” with “productivity” so that I could feel good about the day as a whole.

One errand involved going to my parents’ house. I thought about grabbing a deli sandwich, then eating it at my parents’ house, as I usually do when I have the kids. They play, I eat. No, I decided. One of Noah’s Bagels' incredibly yummy Portobello mushroom bagel dogs would be a good lunch. That would be nice.

Wait. I could eat it there!

Oh.

I realized something Much Better.

I could eat sushi!

Husband dislikes sushi. The kids aren’t yet ready for in-restaurant dining. This was my Big Chance.

It was a little odd being a single-diner. But I enjoyed my food wholeheartedly. Food critics use terms like “symphony of flavors,” and this was that. I had one roll that was spicy, but had a honey sauce on it. I hate honey, but in this context, the sweet juxtaposed the spicy perfectly. It truly was a “symphony” as a single ingredient could not be pulled out of the incredible mesh of flavors. The balance was exquisite. Nothing overpowered anything else.

The presentation was phenomenal, too. Alas, I had only my camera phone with me, and I didn’t think to take a photo until I was halfway done with my first roll. Plus, I didn’t want to seem so conspicuous, so I whipped out the camera, snapped, and threw it in my purse.

When I was almost done, a mom and her two girls aged around 3 and 5 came into the restaurant. The girls immediately knew the types of sushi they wanted. I was stunned. The Cat eats crackers and peanut butter. There is no way he would willingly eat sushi. But these gals ordered up a storm. Meanwhile, their mother educated them about their choices: squid, octopus, and spicy tuna. Be sure to order edamame, she reminded them! They come in their own little carrying cases. Did they know that miso soup was made of fermented soy beans? I did not. Thankfully, I had finished my delicious miso soup prior to this revelation. Did they know that tofu was also soybeans? No, you may not order Sprite; get sparkling water!

After my amazing meal, I ran my errands. I popped into a store to try on some clothes, but nothing was quite right. The shoe selection was modest. I saw a gorgeous dark leather satchel that was $200 more than I wanted to spend, so I left it on its hook, but I picked it up several times to sniff it. I decided to wait until the inevitable Labor Day sales before actually purchasing anything or tempting myself by going into other stores.

So I am back at home! I have done a little cleaning, a little email, a little web-surfing. I must admit that I thought of my family frequently throughout the day. Husband had told the Cat that if he missed me, he could call me. He hasn’t called. I understand why, because I am sure that the day’s adventure has been too exciting to remember what had concerned him earlier.

I cried when I heard Alanis Morrissette’s “Ironic” because of all the death. Just the other day, I had been admitting to my mommy friends that I get nervous when my husband takes my boys and I am not in the car. If we are all together, fine, I die too. But today was particularly tough because my parents are in the van too. Parents. Husband. Kids. Just about everyone I care about most on this earth. So yeah: I had my irrational moments today of missing them and hoping that they remain safe all day.

But all in all, this day has been fantastic. I have definitely had panic moments: “Oh, was I supposed to pick up the Cat from preschool?” “Is that Spliggle crying?” but I have enjoyed the silence, too.

I can do anything. I am FREE.

At least for another couple hours!

*Results of that appointment:
The cyst they had seen two weeks ago was gone. The doctor has put in a referral for a full ultrasound with X-ray to investigate the left-side pain. He gave me a prescription for new birth control pills in an attempt to even out the hormonal issues I’ve had in the last month and a half. So that is progress!