Up Popped A Fox

It’s been like The Perfect Storm around here except there’s been no George Clooney and, thankfully, no swordfish or Nor’easters. I’m counting my blessings about the dearth of swordfish because they freak me out. They remind me of spoonbills which live in the Lake of the Ozarks. They are huge and, as a rule, I try to stay away from fish that have stabby things on their heads. Anyway, it’s been a Perfect Storm of Over Commitment this week with a long bike ride, a Camera Obscura concert, cooking for the collective, writing opportunities, Miguel’s school play, Zeca’s choir practice, balloon animals for the school fair, a second viewing of the school play, shopping for flowers to give the teachers and a trip to New Hampshire on top of that pesky full-time job which seems to get more stressful by the day. I have a terrible tendency to over commit. Things come up and they sound so fun and I think I can do them all and then I am an unbearable ball of stress as I run the Fun Gauntlet. I never seem to learn, either. On Monday, I was stressed to the max and talking to Luisa about her crabbiness and my Many Feelings when she said, “When you were planning all of this, I knew it was going to be stressful and even mentioned that at the time but we’ll get through this.” Of course, what I heard her say was, “I told you so, you incompetent boob!” So, I responded with, “You ‘told me so’! That’s the comfort you have to offer?!” and she was all, “That’s not what I said…” while inside she was probably thinking, “Get me off the phone with this crazy lady!” because we were having this conversation via cell phone while I paced on the sidewalk outside choir practice. Then, Luisa gently suggested that, perhaps, we should talk about things in person and I was like, “I’VE GOT 10 MINUTES BEFORE CHOIR IS OUT AND THIS IS THE ONLY 10 MINUTES I’VE GOT SO WE’RE DAMN WELL GONNA MAKE GOOD USE OF IT!” I didn’t yell, really. I did speak with urgency, however. In the end, I was able to see that “our” recent crabbiness with each other wasn’t so much “ours” as it was “mine”. Oh, Projection! You sly devil! See what amazing things can be accomplished via Blackberry in 10 minutes! The worst part of over committing is, of course, that things are a lot less fun when you are rushing around and, as I channel the proverbial chicken with its head cut off, I forget important details.

Exhibit A:

A Parent: So, you’re here for the chorus concert?

Me: No, I’m here for Miguel’s play.

A Parent: Oh.

Me: What are you here for?

A Parent: I’m here for the elementary chorus concert.

Me: Oh. Yeah. Actually, I guess I’m here for that too. 

Fortunately, I knew the parent I was talking to and could make a self-deprecating joke and pass off my memory loss as a charming quirk. Yesterday, I saw a “To Do List” stamp to be used on the palm of your hand. I think I might need that because I really need life crib notes right now. The Perfect Storm of Over Commitment is only made worse by sleep deprivation and I’ve been going to bed later than usual and the kids have been waking up more than usual. Last night, for example, Miguel woke up screaming bloody murder. I mean that literally. At 2:15 a.m., I awoke to my son yelling, “BLOODY MURDER!” which, apparently, means “nose bleed” in Seven Year Old Boy. I went into the bathroom to find him blowing blood into the sink which is gross and also a terrible way to deal with a nose bleed. I got some Kleenex and held them to his nose while I calmly explained that is it rather disturbing to wake up to someone screaming “BLOODY MURDER!” and that I would appreciate it if, next time, he could yell, “I need some help in here!” or “I have a bloody nose!” He looked at me and said, “MAMA! There wasn’t time for all of that!” We settled on “BLOODY NOSE!” for next time because, as I pointed out to him, there is one less syllable and that single syllable could save his life. 

So, what is the point of this post? Well, there is a good chance that there is no point in this post at all but, rather than consider that possibility, I am going to make this a multiple choice kinda thing and you can choose your own point because I love you that much. 

What is the point of today’s post at Up Popped A Fox? 

A) Do not over schedule yourself because it can be stressful and may lead to forgetfulness.

B) Swordfish are kinda freaky and should be avoided at all cost. The same goes for spoonbills.

C) People sometimes project their emotions onto others resulting in distorted perceptions of a situation.

D) Kids are a lot of work but they can be really funny. They are usually not funny at 2:15 a.m., however.

E) Syllables save lives.

F) All of the above

That is all for now. Good night. I mean, good morning. Or afternoon. Actually, why don’t you pick your time of day as well…thanks.