Bob Marley

Sun is shinin', the weather is sweet;
Make you want to move your dancin' feet
To the rescue, here I am!
Want you to know, y'all, where I stand!
---
/Instrumental break/ ---
(Monday morning) Here I am!
Want you to know (Tuesday evening) just if you can
Where I stand.
(Wednesday morning) Tell myself a new day is risin';
(Thursday evening) get on the rise a new day is dawnin'.
(Friday morning) Here I am!
(Saturday evening) Want you to know just -
Want you to know just where I stand!

That's how i woke up.

Then this happened.

Saturday, Timo's birthday, 2 pm
Robbert was at the jeweler having his watch checked out.
Caroline had another birthday party and i brought her and Morten (who didn't want to stay at home with Timo) with the car.
2 minutes after i delivered her, i turned the car key. Not a sound.
Shit.
Let's try again.
Nothing. Nada. Noppes.
Shitterdeshit.
i called robberts cell phone.
about 300 times.

i tried the jeweler, but he had already left.

i tried home.
Timo was not very bothered and promised to let his dad call me as soon as he walked in.

Then Rachel texed me.
Was I interested to come over to her new apartment?
Not now honey.

Brainwave.
I called AAA.

The thing was i didn't have the card on me.
Nor an ID.

Woman on the other side giving me a lecture about the guy wanting my id or not helping me.
I decided to take my chances, run home, go the bathroom !!! get my id and run back to the car.
By the time i was at the house, Robbert arrived so Morten could stay there.

Back at the car.
Time passed by.
And by.
i got cold.
and time passed by.

The guy came.
fixed my battery in 1 minute and advised me to pass by a garage to have it checked.
Or i could drive for about 30 minutes to load it

but i was almost out of fuel.
and didn't have money on me.

so.
i drove home.
left the engine on and ran home .
yanked and yanked the doorbell.
robbert hadnot heard me coz he was on the rowing machine.
gave me some money and i ran back to the car.
we are talking 3.25 pm here.

sort of plenty of time.
caroline has to be picked up at the party at 4.45 because at 5.30 she has a judo exam.
at that very time timo has to be at his swimming trial exam.

i head on for the highway.
try to think how far i can go.
after exactly 30minutes show up at the pump.
turn of the engine hesitantly.
for a reason.

f*kkerthef*kf*kf*k.

The battery of my cell phone is getting alarmingly low.
i phone home.
tell robbert to take a walk to the swimming pool and leave the BMW for me coz i gathered by now the battery was a no go.

AAA again
we are talking 3.55.
They will do their utmost but cannot promise anything.
At 4,47 i start to panic.

another guy arrives at 5.
At 5.
and starts explaining.
about how he has talked to his collegue whom i met too.
How this colleague advised me to have my battery checked at a garage.
and how he was clearly right coz here i am standing again.

i kept it together.
but barely.
charge the battery please i grinded through my teeth.
and left in a blaze.
drove like mad, changed cars, got Carolines judobag, raced to the house where the party was, only to have the dad opening the door and say; hey, i thought you were picking her up early.

Put your shoes on honey, while i grab your coat i smiled.
back in the car robbert called.
Timo was halfway through his exam and doing fine.
You can still make it he said.
WHAT???
2 minutes ago she had to be in the exam room.

We are going to do something special honey i said.
Today you can change into your judo suit in the car and then we race upstairs when we are there.
I did.
upstairs put her hair in a ponytail and then realized she had a butterfly painted on her face.
One of the teachers came up.
Parents started giving me looks and i tried to keep my voice calm and relaxed.

Hi.
We've had some car trouble and she would reaaaaally appreciate doing her exam.
Could you give us our first break today?

If she would take the make up off, he would let her join the group.

Rushed over to the toilet. Got some paper and frantically removed the makeup.
So she still had a red face. Who cared? That became better during a couple of minutes so stop nagging.

She got her green slips.

Shoo be doop doop doop.

Hatchee. Thanks

Monday evening.
Dinnertime.
2 of the 3 cats are inside and the one that is usually crawling around your legs anyway is not.
Weird.
She comes in after 10 minutes of calling.
Limping.

SHIIIIIT.

Robbert calls the vet. Who has service till 18.30 but doesn't want to take in a new case 5 minutes before she closes.
We call the replacer and leave a message.
Finish dinner and leave a message.
Holy cow
where's the emergency (you pay double for evening consults!!) in this emergency number?
Anyway. 19.45 we get ahold of someone.
Grab the cat and put it together with a sleeping shirt in a bench.

About an hr later he's back. They are gonna take a photo but the machine needs heating up for 2 hrs. Pffff.

Around 10 we get a call. Yep, it's broken, although neatly.
She can be picked up the next day.

Tuesday.
2 kids are coughing. 1 badly. One not so bad.
The other one has a severe attack of spontaneous headache.
The result; the headache and bad cough stay at home. The 3rd goes to school.
Only for me to receive a phone call asking him to pick him up after 10 minutes. He puked all over.
Right.

So 3 kids at home.
one cat to pick up.
Easy. I can do this

Wednesday.
I feel like crap.
My throat hurts, all my bones hurt.
Feel for me !!!!
I am sick.

Pity i have 3 recovering children around. I barely make it till the evening and get in bed around 8

Thursday
2 kids back to school
the one that stays in, can go for an extra swimming lesson today so that he may get the note saying he can go for his B-certificate.
Not taking any chances here.
Anyone who has kids and has been in a pool once, knows they are overheated, overcrowded and in general suck the life out of you, so any kid getting more and more towards the desired abc certificates is one that should not be messed about.
Anyway, the kid knows what's at stake and delivers the note.
To celebrate we have Chinese.
The broccoli and shrimps taste weird.

Friday.
Back to school for everyone

Saturday
At the breakfast table i can only stand robberts coffee when i have my head hanging outside the window for fresh air. What is this? I only whas this nauseous when i was pregnant and God is my witness here, that is pratically impossible (hi honey.)
Damned shrimps.
Pity the boys have skating lessons at 10.
Morten has to judo at 1 and Timo has to go for his trial swimming exam at 3.
I sweat myself through the better part of the day and collapse in the afternoon. Only to be awake again at

Sunday.
I have tickets for some illusionist'show.
The kids love it.
Robbert and i are amazed at the people who actually visit the show without having any visible children around. I buy Carolines presents for coming Wednesday (she turns 5 ladies and gentlemen)and finally, finally eat the first normal meal of this whole week!

Judo match

Busy bees

A couple of weeks ago our office manager/recruiter and Thea & i mutually agreed we would not prolongue her year contract.
But... 2 days ago we had a convention
And in a few weeks time we're moving office.

Yes. That sounds like all sorts of stuff that would be ideal for an office manager to take care of.

So, apart from the ordinary business, we are now looking for a new consultant, a new office manager and/or recruiter and have about a ton of not-worth-it-in-itself-but-nevertheless-very-time-consuming-things to take care of.

Anyone interested btw?
We're a small firm. Growing sensibly. Lots of laughter.

Anyway.
As it as i am waiting for Morten to finish his judo coz Robbert is at the ER again.
Yes.
Don't know what 's wrong but he had a little thing on his leg which developed into a ontsteking again. He was feeling crappy yesterday and is now waiting for his leg to be cut open again.
Weird isn't it.
In the hospital they said it was probably a serious vitamin lack, but come on. We eat quite healthily and besides, we all eat the same and so far * knock on wood* are doing fine.

BTW, besides judo, Morten is now into waterpolo.
Which is given on a Tuesday from 6-7.
Who ever thinks of these lessons has no life I guess.
Or at least, no other children who want to eat at that time.
This sporting business better pay of.

Never a dull moment

The last couple of months i have had a-symmetric, 3 colour hair.
Red, black and highlights.

I thought it was time for something new.
Blond.

The only thing is Timo is swimming for his A certificate this afternoon. And parents are allowed (read obliged) to swim the dressed lane with them.
Timo asked me.

I told the hairdresser.
Who strongly advised me to wear a badmuts.
No way i said.
Fine, if you want to look like Shrek, go ahead, he said.
I am warning you that hair is turning green as grass.

err.
right.

Not to worry though.
Put on tomato ketchup, tinfoil over it and keep it like that for about an hr. The red will pull out the green.
Are you taking the piss out of me or what i said.
He swore he wasn't.

Having come home Caroline was still in bed.
See, she's got a judo exam this afternoon (that's why Robbert and i have to split) and a light concussion.
The day before she fell from the swing. On her head yeah.
Sofar nothing new, only she kept complaining of a head ache and came out of bed twice that night.
So i took her to the doctor's.
Where she vomited.

Which i was glad of in a way
Coz you know how doctors can be.
Always with the attitude of ; come on now mrs. so she fell. Children do.

Anyway.
She's not been eating for 36 hrs.
Vomited 4 times and has to do headrolls in a few hours.

Not an easy pick is it?
Show up as Shrek IV or sit at an exam with a vomiting child on my lap.

Why don't i ever read about these choices in other blogs?