I am still alive.
I went on vacation! I visited family and reverted to childhood. I didn't clean anything or cook anything or do anything responsible at all, really. I just waited for more delicious food and entertainment to be provided to me, and I never waited very long. I was like a Roman aristocrat, lounging limply on my lounging couch.* Nobody needed me for anything, and I slept as long as I wanted.
Then I came home. Everybody was glad to see me.** People need me for things, and I can't sleep as long as I want.
Then I got sick. This is the third day of me lying in bed while "caring for" Skipper. The first day, we took turns reading books to each other and reading magazines to ourselves. (Skipper prefers Atlantic Monthly and I prefer the New Yorker.) The second and third days, we took turns choosing which TV show to watch. (Skipper watched "Wonder Pets," a show that actually featured in an essay about children's television in the New Yorker I was reading. I watched "Hoarders," a show that makes me feel uneasy about some of my piles of stuff.) Skipper has been fending for herself while I lie around - on Wednesday, when Cook came home, she showed him proudly that she had stripped all the sheets off her bed in an attempt to change her bedding.
*Did that even happen? I have a mental image of grapes and whatnot, but I have no idea whether that's actually based in history. Regardless, all I needed was a toga and a tiled pool to fulfill my mental image.
** Cook swears that he was glad to see ME, not just to have me back on duty, but after his first weekend alone with both girls, he has also gained even more respect for single parents.
Then I came home. Everybody was glad to see me.** People need me for things, and I can't sleep as long as I want.
Then I got sick. This is the third day of me lying in bed while "caring for" Skipper. The first day, we took turns reading books to each other and reading magazines to ourselves. (Skipper prefers Atlantic Monthly and I prefer the New Yorker.) The second and third days, we took turns choosing which TV show to watch. (Skipper watched "Wonder Pets," a show that actually featured in an essay about children's television in the New Yorker I was reading. I watched "Hoarders," a show that makes me feel uneasy about some of my piles of stuff.) Skipper has been fending for herself while I lie around - on Wednesday, when Cook came home, she showed him proudly that she had stripped all the sheets off her bed in an attempt to change her bedding.
*Did that even happen? I have a mental image of grapes and whatnot, but I have no idea whether that's actually based in history. Regardless, all I needed was a toga and a tiled pool to fulfill my mental image.
** Cook swears that he was glad to see ME, not just to have me back on duty, but after his first weekend alone with both girls, he has also gained even more respect for single parents.
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also: sick? no good. i hope it's a mild sick. i finally succumbed to the overwhelming power of 16 preschoolers (i subbed twice ten days ago) and their germs and fell miserably ill last weekend. still haven't recovered, despite napping most days this last week. my napping gives e ample opportunity to practice hanging out by herself. also, to take out every single piece of clothing and all the books she has and strew them around various rooms in the house. it took a three-adult team to pick up the house yesterday. it was intense. i empathize.