A Mom's Day Off

Copyright © 2006 by Terri Mauro


Let me tell you about my day off. It actually started at night. Someone was here to take care of all my kids through the night. I didn't have to answer to a single peep. The next day, the caregiver stayed and took care of them as well. Someone else cleaned the house: scrubbed floors and toilets, loads and loads of laundry, and all the dirty dishes. Oh, yes, an even some light cooking. While they were doing that, I had the luxury of laying in my king sized bed taking naps at my leisure all by myself with the door closed. My beverage was changed out periodically without even asking. I received crackers and hand cut, peeled apples for a snack. The baby was brought to me for nursing and then given back to his caregiver

until the next feeding. And of course, I didn't have to change a single dirty diaper. All I had to do was relax and rest on my day off.

So, how does one get a day off like this? Try a stomach virus (I'll spare the gory details). I didn't have the energy to do anything. I didn't have the balance to hold the baby while I was standing. I was flat on my back miserable the whole day. The "caregivers", my husband and MIL, didn't really have it very easy at all as the boys were sick as well. I don't know how they made it through the day without any sleep from the night before. From my understanding, Will was up several times throughout the night visiting the porcelain pot. I think Witt screamed more through the night than he slept (MIL even took him on a stroller ride in the middle of the night to get him out of the house). Nathan was the only one that slept through the night.

Jeff did a great job getting all the germs out of the house with his scrubbing and washing; unfortunately, he came in contact with the germs too much... looks like today is his "day off". Poor thing. I'll have to check in on MIL later today; I hope she doesn't have the "day off", too.