This post was originally published on May 29, 2011. I include it here not because it has anything at all to do with the Holidays, but because I got some good laughs out of reading it and thought you might need a laugh as well. Moms ~ remember that when your days look like this, even if it feels as though no one is watching and no one appreciates how hard you work, God is always watching. He knows what you do and He is thankful that you do it!
As an update to the information in this post ~ the two cats we now call Marley and Judah were once two of these adorable kittens. I guess we did end up keeping a couple. Oh, but they are the sweetest cats ever!
Enjoy ...
Whew.
What a DAY Friday was.
I couldn't make this up if I tried.
I wanted to share it with you immediately, but it totally and completely drained me ~ physically and mentally. By the end of it, there was no "writing" left in me. Of course, by now, I can't remember all of the details, but let me do my best to share what I can remember.
Friday is supposed to be our Homeschool Co-op day. This particular Friday was supposed to be our last co-op for the year.
Keep in mind, this co-op we've been attending this year is 45 minutes away ... in another city entirely. Gas is expensive. But socialization is important. The girls need that time to spend with their friends.
It requires a lot of work for us to go. I have to make lunches for all three of us. We have to walk the dog (and get her good and tired to spend the day in her kennel) close enough to our departure time, but with enough time left for Momma to take a shower. We have to load up and be out of here in time to drive the 45 minutes and hopefully have time to eat our lunch before the co-op starts at 1:00.
Friday started pretty typically. I started with my tea ... I skipped my workout (shame shame), but went ahead and began preparing the girls' lunches. I had no idea what to make for me because our kitchen was BARE ... I mean BARE. I mean only ingredients for COOKING .. nothing for me to eat. No salad fixins. Nada.
So, I'm trying to figure out what in the world Momma will eat (I would have just gotten one of my Vegan Carribean Tempeh wraps, kale salad and an Honest Tea at my favorite health food store on the way, but we were flat broke and Daddy had just informed me that his paycheck was about $250 less than expected ... the start of the GOOD NEWS of the day, I guess). While I'm trying to come up with something for me, the Princess informs me that she doesn't feel well. Her tummy hurts.
A few minutes later, the Hippie informs me that she has accidentally pulled the towel rack out of the wall in her bathroom. Not just a towel rack. It ripped a HUGE whole in the wall. Fabulous.
I begin to wonder if we should go. It's the last day of co-op. Most people have summer fever at this point and aren't coming much anymore. The Hippie hasn't knitted enough on her hat to finish it today in class anyway. There's not even anything planned for the third hour for the girls. The Princess doesn't feel well. Gas is expensive, we're on empty and I don't have the money to fill up (really). I have nothing for lunch. Maybe we should just take the day off.
But, the Hippie really wants to go. Insert Mommy-guilt. She wants to go; I should take her.
Back and forth. I eventually decide that we'll just stay home. We'll run to the store, stop at the library and pick up a movie for the three of us and just snuggle up at home. Take it easy.
HA ... little did I know.
Okay, the girls are okay with this plan. Excited about a girlie movie with Momma.
But, we have to walk the dog first. If not, she'll poop in her kennel while we are out (she's a royal pain in the #@!, though I love her).
So, we head out at about 10:30 am for our usual morning walk. I'm not planning to "huff it" (for exercise). I don't even have my tone-up shoes on ... just flip flops. Let's just get the dog to do her business.
We get to the end of our street and take a right. Like every day. We are crossing the street when the Hippie notices a small animal crate. "What's in the crate, Momma? Can I check and see?"
"Sure, honey. Let me pick up this poop." (the dog had done her business pretty quickly)
"MOMMA, IT'S KITTENS!!!!!!!!!!"
"Great" (to myself)
I head over to check it out, and sure enough, there is a Momma Cat and a PILE of kittens inside this small crate. Can't tell how many, but a big ball of fluff.
Wonderful.
I ask the guy nearby who is doing yard work if he knows anything about it. Nope.
I ask the cute couple coming out of their apartment to get into their car about it. Nope.
I ask the electric company worker about it. Nope.
No one left to ask. Yep, someone dumped this poor cat and her babies here.
Fantastic.
If you know me or my family, you know that we are NOT going to leave them here to die. This means, I now have the responsibility of finding homes for all of these kittens and the momma cat.
"Well, we have to walk the dog first. Let's just head up to the bridge and back and I'll grab them when we get back."
"No, we can't keep any of them. We can't afford it right now."
The girls are IN LOVE. Uber excited. Naturally.
Momma's racking her brain for people who might want kittens. Trying to figure out how to tell Daddy. He, too would NEVER leave them (or any animal) to die. But, he is adimant about us not getting another cat until the one we have dies. He doesn't want more than one anymore.
Let me give you a little background.
Three months ago we had four pets ~ two dogs and two cats.
Our beloved Faith (14 year old Rotta-Mutt that Daddy and I got when she was 5 weeks old and we'd been together just over a year ... that Momma & Daddy loved dearly ... was our first "baby") died in February. Well, we had to pay over $300 for tests and x-rays and ultimately put her to sleep. Not a happy day.
A couple of weeks ago, one of our cats got sick. I first noticed that he was VERY skinny. But, he was "normal" otherwise. We tried to fatten him up by buying him straight tuna and salmon and mackerel. We brought him into the back porch so that he didn't have to go far to get to his food. We watched as he became paralyzed. First has hind legs quit working. He would drag them around. But, still HE was normal (same personality, no pain, no suffering). We simply could not afford to take him to the vet only to pay several hundred dollars for tests and for them to once again tell us we needed to put him down. So, we decided to just try our best to nurse him back to health. And, if not, as long as he wasn't in pain, we'd let him live out his days in the comfort of his home, eating tuna like a King, happy. That is just what he did. He never suffered.
He died Thursday morning.
Back to Friday. So, my precious daughters lost their dog, Faith, three months ago. They lost their cat 24 hours ago. They actually lost our other dog a couple of years ago ... another story. So, in their short life, they've lost three beloved pets.
In comes a super sweet Momma Cat and her six kittens. Into a family that cannot afford to care for the animals it has (well, we can afford food and we have heart guard and advantage, but we can't afford the vet when something goes wrong). So, here we have a 6 and 8 year old little girl, in love and excited about a cat and kittens, who just lost their cat, who cannot keep any of these. Heart-breaking for Momma.
What a DAY Friday was.
I couldn't make this up if I tried.
I wanted to share it with you immediately, but it totally and completely drained me ~ physically and mentally. By the end of it, there was no "writing" left in me. Of course, by now, I can't remember all of the details, but let me do my best to share what I can remember.
Friday is supposed to be our Homeschool Co-op day. This particular Friday was supposed to be our last co-op for the year.
Keep in mind, this co-op we've been attending this year is 45 minutes away ... in another city entirely. Gas is expensive. But socialization is important. The girls need that time to spend with their friends.
It requires a lot of work for us to go. I have to make lunches for all three of us. We have to walk the dog (and get her good and tired to spend the day in her kennel) close enough to our departure time, but with enough time left for Momma to take a shower. We have to load up and be out of here in time to drive the 45 minutes and hopefully have time to eat our lunch before the co-op starts at 1:00.
Friday started pretty typically. I started with my tea ... I skipped my workout (shame shame), but went ahead and began preparing the girls' lunches. I had no idea what to make for me because our kitchen was BARE ... I mean BARE. I mean only ingredients for COOKING .. nothing for me to eat. No salad fixins. Nada.
So, I'm trying to figure out what in the world Momma will eat (I would have just gotten one of my Vegan Carribean Tempeh wraps, kale salad and an Honest Tea at my favorite health food store on the way, but we were flat broke and Daddy had just informed me that his paycheck was about $250 less than expected ... the start of the GOOD NEWS of the day, I guess). While I'm trying to come up with something for me, the Princess informs me that she doesn't feel well. Her tummy hurts.
A few minutes later, the Hippie informs me that she has accidentally pulled the towel rack out of the wall in her bathroom. Not just a towel rack. It ripped a HUGE whole in the wall. Fabulous.
I begin to wonder if we should go. It's the last day of co-op. Most people have summer fever at this point and aren't coming much anymore. The Hippie hasn't knitted enough on her hat to finish it today in class anyway. There's not even anything planned for the third hour for the girls. The Princess doesn't feel well. Gas is expensive, we're on empty and I don't have the money to fill up (really). I have nothing for lunch. Maybe we should just take the day off.
But, the Hippie really wants to go. Insert Mommy-guilt. She wants to go; I should take her.
Back and forth. I eventually decide that we'll just stay home. We'll run to the store, stop at the library and pick up a movie for the three of us and just snuggle up at home. Take it easy.
HA ... little did I know.
Okay, the girls are okay with this plan. Excited about a girlie movie with Momma.
But, we have to walk the dog first. If not, she'll poop in her kennel while we are out (she's a royal pain in the #@!, though I love her).
So, we head out at about 10:30 am for our usual morning walk. I'm not planning to "huff it" (for exercise). I don't even have my tone-up shoes on ... just flip flops. Let's just get the dog to do her business.
We get to the end of our street and take a right. Like every day. We are crossing the street when the Hippie notices a small animal crate. "What's in the crate, Momma? Can I check and see?"
"Sure, honey. Let me pick up this poop." (the dog had done her business pretty quickly)
"MOMMA, IT'S KITTENS!!!!!!!!!!"
"Great" (to myself)
I head over to check it out, and sure enough, there is a Momma Cat and a PILE of kittens inside this small crate. Can't tell how many, but a big ball of fluff.
Wonderful.
I ask the guy nearby who is doing yard work if he knows anything about it. Nope.
I ask the cute couple coming out of their apartment to get into their car about it. Nope.
I ask the electric company worker about it. Nope.
No one left to ask. Yep, someone dumped this poor cat and her babies here.
Fantastic.
If you know me or my family, you know that we are NOT going to leave them here to die. This means, I now have the responsibility of finding homes for all of these kittens and the momma cat.
"Well, we have to walk the dog first. Let's just head up to the bridge and back and I'll grab them when we get back."
"No, we can't keep any of them. We can't afford it right now."
The girls are IN LOVE. Uber excited. Naturally.
Momma's racking her brain for people who might want kittens. Trying to figure out how to tell Daddy. He, too would NEVER leave them (or any animal) to die. But, he is adimant about us not getting another cat until the one we have dies. He doesn't want more than one anymore.
Let me give you a little background.
Three months ago we had four pets ~ two dogs and two cats.
Our beloved Faith (14 year old Rotta-Mutt that Daddy and I got when she was 5 weeks old and we'd been together just over a year ... that Momma & Daddy loved dearly ... was our first "baby") died in February. Well, we had to pay over $300 for tests and x-rays and ultimately put her to sleep. Not a happy day.
A couple of weeks ago, one of our cats got sick. I first noticed that he was VERY skinny. But, he was "normal" otherwise. We tried to fatten him up by buying him straight tuna and salmon and mackerel. We brought him into the back porch so that he didn't have to go far to get to his food. We watched as he became paralyzed. First has hind legs quit working. He would drag them around. But, still HE was normal (same personality, no pain, no suffering). We simply could not afford to take him to the vet only to pay several hundred dollars for tests and for them to once again tell us we needed to put him down. So, we decided to just try our best to nurse him back to health. And, if not, as long as he wasn't in pain, we'd let him live out his days in the comfort of his home, eating tuna like a King, happy. That is just what he did. He never suffered.
He died Thursday morning.
Back to Friday. So, my precious daughters lost their dog, Faith, three months ago. They lost their cat 24 hours ago. They actually lost our other dog a couple of years ago ... another story. So, in their short life, they've lost three beloved pets.
In comes a super sweet Momma Cat and her six kittens. Into a family that cannot afford to care for the animals it has (well, we can afford food and we have heart guard and advantage, but we can't afford the vet when something goes wrong). So, here we have a 6 and 8 year old little girl, in love and excited about a cat and kittens, who just lost their cat, who cannot keep any of these. Heart-breaking for Momma.
Anyway, I thought that was it.
HA ~ wrong again.
We walk back, all the while I'm planning the conversation with Daddy in my head. I pick up the crate and start heading home, dog on the leash in one hand, crate in the other, two daughters on scooters and a ton of traffic (oh, did I mention that my sweet little residential street is now a highway and near impossible to walk down? No? Oh, well they are doing road work on the main drag, so they've decided to detour all of the traffic coming off of I-95 into our huge city DOWN MY STREET ~ lovely!).
Kittens are screaming because I'm tossing them around, so I give the Hippie the leash so I can hold the crate more securely.
The Princess is having trouble carrying both scooters, so they trade. We finally make it home.
"You guys stay in here with Sweet Pea (our other little dog) while I set up these cats out on the porch".
I start setting up some food and water and a bed for her, cleaning up, when I hear "Momma, she just peed".
That makes no sense ~ we just walked her. I come in to clean up the pee and she vomits.
UGH
I begin to clean up the vomit and she walks away, like a V-8 commercial ~ sideways, disoriented, walking into chairs and the table and the wall. Drunk Dog.
Terrific. Something is wrong with the dog.
I hurry over to see what's up with her. She vomits again. She is shaking. She seems stiff. She won't lay down. She's drooling profusely. The Princess thinks she's going to die now.
To be honest, I wonder the same thing.
Spectacular. I haven't even had the chance to call Daddy about the kitties yet and now I've got to tell him the dog is possibly going to die.
Now, I have two piles of vomit and some dog pee to clean up. A dog that something is clearly wrong with. A cat and six kittens that I haven't fully fixed up yet. Two little girls hovering, asking "What's wrong with Sweet Pea?" ...
I know I need to take her to the vet. I can't NOT take her. I just can't . But, remember. We just learned that our paycheck was $250 less than we expected. I have just enough for rent. A vet bill will cut into that.
Okay.
I call Daddy. Tell him first about the dog. Then the cats. Poor Daddy ~ information overload. Hah ~ poor Momma. I'm the one in the trenches, dealing with it. :=)
I tell him I have to take her. I'll do my best to keep the bill down. We'll figure it out.
So, I call the vet. The girls and I load up in the car with Sweet Pea and head over.
Long story short (hahaha), we spend over two hours there and almost $300 in vet bills (exam, bloodwork, fluids, a couple of injections, a couple of prescriptions and some special food). The Hippie nearly hyperventilates with boredom (I'm exaggerating here, but she was BORED!!) I still don't know exactly what caused the dog's "episode". They tell me she's dehydrated. They give her fluids. Her fluids are leaking. She takes a dump on the vet floor ~ nice one, Sweet Pea. They have to muzzle her to do anything ~ she's super sweet for the four of us, but is a b#%ch to other people.
Embarrassing.
Three hundred dollars out of my rent money.
Cat and six kittens to find homes for.
I'm STARVING ... remember, I have no food at home other than food I have to cook.
Sooo, we head home. The girls eat the food I'd made them for co-op (good thing we decided not to go, haha). I cook some cabbage and black beans for me.
It's 2:30. We haven't made it to the store. I'm SPENT. My dog is leaking fluid on the floor.
I put the girls down for 'quiet time' ~ Momma needs it now more than ever. I veg out for 45 minutes to a Dr. Phil.
Then, the thunderstorms start. The power goes out twice. Yippee. Could this day get any better?
How can I make dinner without power? We certainly can't order out. Let's head to the store ~ can't do anything here with no power anyway.
The girls and I load up at 5:00 in the evening, in the middle of a downpour (I know ~ poor judgement on my part. I think my brain was fried by this point. But, we NEEDED cat food and cat litter for the new cats and Daddy needed contact solution and we needed SOME food to eat).
We braved the storm and 5:00 traffic (made worse I believe by Memorial Day Weekend traffic) to go all the way to the store. Got what we needed and didn't get home until 7:30pm.
My girls, who normally are in bed by 8-8:30, ate dinner at 8:00. We finally got them to bed and then I made some food for Momma and Daddy.
I splurged and spent the $6.41 to get a six pack of beer.
I needed a beer after the day I'd had.
Then, I watched the kittens for a bit and just reveled in my day.
A crazy one. For sure.
But, blessed, as always!
On a homeschool note, the Hippie just told me a couple of days ago that she wanted to "study cats". Before I could even get to the library to help her "study cats", God placed a perfect "cat study" right in our path.
Gotta love life on the narrow path ...
How was YOUR Friday?
Until next time,
~ Irie Momma
