Hello Monday!

You know it's Monday when...

• -Mr. Tapioca Head (the ex) calls to say he can't bring the kids back because his car is dead.
• -Mr. TH then says, "Since you're coming to get the kids anyway, could you help me jump the car battery?" You say you don't have jumper cables, but he says no problem he has some. (So much for that excuse. Good try though.)
• -After racing to throw on something, anything and get out the door in time to help fix the ex's car AND get the kids to school on time - he calls when you're about 100 yards from his apartment to say, "If you haven't left yet, don't bother to come, a neighbor helped me out." Meh.
• -Since you're almost there, you get the kids anyway.
• -You try to come up with a reason not to bash your ex with the jumper cables he's given you as a 'thank you gift' and also "in case [he] should need a jump some other time." (Reason 1 not to smack him = kids are standing there looking at you. Smile. Reason 2 = probably against the law. Reason 3 = probably look bad at the child support/custody review hearing next week.)
• -You take the greebles to school - hearing about their tummy aches the whole way.
• -You check for fevers (=none), ask what they ate for breakfast at dad's(=crap, as usual, but you don't react at all - not even eyebrows or inflected voice or anything b/c that is soo unfair to the kids), and decide (against your mommy instinct which wants to snuggle them up) to send them to school even though they feel terrible (with the sop to your mommy-ness that you will find time this afternoon with each one of them separately to find out if something happened or is bothering them to make their tummies hurt.)
• -You end up making double trips to school - one for drop off and one for pick up - because after only an hour, the tummies hurt too much to stay at school. The only boy left at school is Chaos (14) who apparently had an extra side of surliness for breakfast instead of the poptarts the others had - because he wouldn't say anything in the car. You wonder what's up with that.
• -You tuck sick boys into their beds with hugs and kisses and stall about what to do next because, what should you do???
• -You run around and around and around in your head about the right way to treat tummy aches that might be a result of anything from indigestion to unknown/unknowable drama with their dad to a virus.
• -You try not to be cynical and think that no matter what you do, it won't be the right thing. You try to stay positive and get ready for the day.
• -In short, you now prepare for a very different today than the day you thought you had in front of you.

Yep, it's a Monday all right.