All According to Plan...Just Not Mine

I woke up this morning with one thing topping my priority list: laundry. Both hampers are overflowing and Hannah had to wear Emma's pants because all of hers are dirty. But that was fine with me, because I had nothing else to do. Then the day started.

Emma came down from bed with her left eye completely crusted shut. She couldn't even open it. I had to wash it with a warm, wet, rag to loosen the crusty matter and peel her eyelid free again. Inside was a bright pink eye--no surprise there, but hey, I can be flexible. I made an appointment with the pediatrician for later this morning. Then, putting Emma's glasses on I noticed that one arm was severely bent, a nose piece was missing, and a screw had disappeared. So I figured we'd swing by the eye doctor's office after the pediatrician.

The pediatrician's appointment was at 11:15.  We got to the eye doctor about noon. The lady there commented, "Boy, Emma did you have a fun day yesterday?!" when she saw the glasses. Toby ran up and down the handicap ramp as fast as he could making car noises while the repairs were made. When we drove by the pharmacy for the antibiotic eye drops Elijah was out of patience with his car seat and screamed as we sat in the drive-through line, then all the way home. Emma attempted to calm him by singing, "If you're happy and you know it." Which I found simultaneously highly annoying and hilariously amusing. After calming Elijah at home, making lunch, and putting Elijah and Toby down for naps I felt triumphant. I hadn't planned any of that, but we survived. The only obstacle between me and a successful day now was five loads of laundry.

I sat down to tie up a few loose ends in this week's schedule. Only a few minutes later I heard Naomi yell out, "Emma! Why did you leave your glasses on the floor?!?! I just stepped on them!"

Can I cry now? Maybe I should just laugh, but I feel more like crying. Emma's glasses are mangled! Both arms are bent, the lenses are popping out, and I don't know if they'll be able to fix them this time. Seriously? We went nine months with only one minor repair before and Emma manages to mangle her glasses twice in 24 hours? Am I supposed to learn something from this? OK, I just wrote "string to tie Emma's glasses around her neck" on my shopping list, but beyond that, Lord, is there a reason for this madness?

The horrible, sickening twist is that if I want Emma's glasses fixed today (which I do, she has preschool tomorrow and she needs them to see), I will now have to wake up two sleeping children to load them back in the van and drive back to the eye doctor's before they close at 4:30. Unless I take drastic action, poor innocent Matt will then come home to a dinner of Rice Chex with rice milk, no clean clothes, and an angry wife. I know this is not fair to him. That's why I'm venting here...then calling my mom. Pray that the pressure is released before Matt makes it home, for his sake.