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Wednesday, February 15, 2012

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"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door
!"

Emma Lazarus, 1883



On second thought.... nah.

Magnum and Chaco have both blessed me with their enduring presence these past two days.  I'm currently full up with wretched huddled masses yearning to breathe.  They have some sort of crud virus that isn't slowing them down that much, but enough to make them want to spare their classmates/co-workers the coughing and mucousing. 

A typical weekday around here starts a bit chaotically with all of us shuttling in and out of our 2 bathrooms for showers and basic primping.  Meego doesn't have much hang up over bed head and hygiene in general, so he opts for a few more minutes of sleep by doing his ablutions in the evenings.

Once everyone has breakfasted and left a nice kitchen mess, the exodus commences.  The kids head out in the directions of their respective schools, and Magnum and I are usually the last to leave.  I return about 45 minutes later to the house, the dog, the fish.

These days, my return is usually marked by thawing out with coffee and the reading of your wonderful blogs before hitting the rest of whatever it is I do all day.  People begin filing back in by mid afternoon which leaves the house with about 6 hours or so of non-familiality other than the comings and goings of the dog and me.  The fish are ever present as far as I know.

So this new dynamic is rather strange.  I leave.  I come back and I get

"Where were you?"
"Who'd you tutor?"
"Where else did you go?"
"What's in the bag?"
"Why are you still wearing your coat?"
"Who was on the phone?"
"The timer's going off"
"What's the timer for?"
"Are you going out again?"
"Where are you going?"
"Can I come?"
....."

Add to this the fact that they both sound like deep-voiced Oompah Loompahs and it's rather strange indeed.


*photo manip by Chaco.  He needed something constructive to do.
.

12 comments:

ShadowRun300 said...

Did not even notice the photo at first. Too funny!
I have grown very used to having a quiet house at least a few days a week, since my "weekends" typically fall during the week. But now that my husband is working from home, I've had to get used to conversations throughout the day. That may sound like a good thing, but I miss the peace and being able to drink coffee and read without feeling the need to entertain or explain myself. :)
Hopefully things will return to normal for you again soon, and I'm rootin' for your immune system to go into overdrive. Nobody likes a sick Mom.

Judy said...

I wish I was around to enjoy my quiet house from time to time. Sadly, I've scheduled/volunteered myself right out of the stay-at-home thing. I leave to take the kids to school and return after picking them up each afternoon.

Kind of depressing actually. I should at least get a paycheck if I'm gone that long.

Hope everyone feels better soon!

Abby said...

Yeah, it's not like I mind having them around, but all this interaction takes some getting used to. As for the photo, it looks oddly like my mammogram get-up.

Abby said...

"I should at least get a paycheck if I'm gone that long". You said it first.

terri said...

They want to come with you where you're going? I usually have to bribe someone to accomplish that. Unless I'm going to Dairy Queen.

Hope the Oompahs feel better soon.

Abby said...

In this case, Magnum wanted to come with me to walk China. I gladly gave him bag duty.

agg79 said...

Yea, there is just so much "togetherness" you can stand. Especially when they are messing with your routine. Too sick to go to work, but well enough to walk China?

Shawnte said...

Lol! Nice photo. Also yeah. I much rather a quiet home where I'm alone, but I still live with my folks so thats not possible right now xD. We also share 2 bathrooms among 5 people x.x not easy to do, especially in the morning.

Also, I hope you feel better soon. Cold season has been spreading around lately.

Rock Chef said...

Perhaps they are just realising that you actually do stuff when they are at school and don't just sit around doing you nails and stuff?

Abby said...

I know, right? His theory was that the fresh air and movement would help fix his lungs, but he still sounds like a big Oompah Loompah.

Abby said...

I will not catch it... I will not catch it... I will not...

Anita said...

When my kids are home, eventually, I get a little talked out; a little bored with the type questions that your sons were asking you. And when I try to transition a dumb question (oops, did I say dumb... I meant a "childish question") to an educational conversation, they scatter.

Just kidding. I indulge them. Really. :)

Anyway, I like you as Lady Liberty. Glad you pointed it out. I saw your reply saying her outfit is similar to your mammo outfit. Mine has been reduced down to a triangle, it seems. I don't know how that thing can be a one size fits all. And it's not as warm and cozy as the big wrap arounds.