The past week was quite a rough and challenging week for me as a teacher and mother, but also for my marriage. There was just issue upon issue. But the worse was Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday I came home late because of my daughters’ activities, so then I always plan something for dinner that does not take too much time to prepare. I need the extra time to help my daughter with homework. Because we couldn’t do it earlier in the day. In this case it was crustless quiche with salad for dinner. I get my eggs from a farmer that stays close to the road on the away home. But when I got there his workers did not get the message to keep my eggs for me and sold it. So now I had to prepare something that will take more of my time. We have a rule in the house that everything must be finished at 19:00 in the evening. This means that by this time the children were bathed, lunch boxes packed, house is tidied up and curtains are closed so that when we stand up from the dinner table it will be 19:00. Then I only have the dishes to wash and we can relax and spent time together before the girls’ bedtime. So now already I am worried because time is of the essence! When I stopped at our front gate I looked for my house keys but it was nowhere, not in my handbag or in the car. My husband always put them in the car for me or gives it to me in my hand after he opens the gate in the morning. So now I have to make a plan to get in the house. 15 minutes later, with my youngest’s cooperation and a small window we got the keys that was lying on my dressing table. I suspect it was me who left it there because I ran back to put some lip gloss on in the morning.
While I was in the backyard helping my daughter through the window I saw that our dogs ripped our garbage bags apart. Might I just add that we have a huge yard. And we had a windy day. I saw it and intended to do something about it as soon as I got in the house. After I have gotten the car in the garage, unloaded the car and realized that my husband and I never took my daughter’s school bag from his car after he picked her up from school. This meant she would not have been able to do her homework until 18:15. By this time I had forgotten about the garbage problem and just focused on getting everything done so that we only have her homework to finish when he got home. The food, which took longer than it would have been if I had eggs. I bathed the children, made the lunch boxes and in between I cleaned the car’s carpet yet again after the milk incident. This was my husband’s orders to me in the morning because the car had a bad smell.
When he arrived everything was almost done, I think I did well and he also thought so, even though we did not finish at 19:00 on the dot. He helped our daughter with her homework and I finished the dishes. That was Wednesday. Thursday morning I woke up on time, 05:00, read Bible and then had a pretty good prayer session with God.
Just before I had to leave for work, as I was loading the car I smelled petrol, a very strong smell of petrol. I told my husband and we both looked under the car just to find petrol dripping from my car. Off coarse my husband decided it is not safe and that we all will have to go in to town with one car, this will make me late for work. As my husband went through the house, checking if all the lights are off he saw the garbage lying all over the yard through the bedroom window. He mentioned it and I said I saw it yesterday and that it was the dogs. “And you did not do something about it?” He asked and I said I wanted to but there was no time. “Well I think you had time, it would have only taken 5min to pick it up”. Then I said that I disagree and then he said “you had time”. I tried to explain myself but he wouldn’t listen and by the second time I tried he said I was disrespectful and “back chatting” in front the children. I felt if he listened to me, gave me a chance to explain and then still felt I was wrong it would have been okay, at least I had time to explain. And if after I had a chance to explain still would have comments about it, it would only then qualify as “back chatting”. But until this moment he still does not agree with me :( How do you feel about it? I feel I still need a chance to explain even if he disagrees. He said that I could have tried to explain in private later that evening.
I don’t know sometimes submitting is really a tricky thing! For me the most difficult part of submitting is to keep quiet when I really want to be heard. Please be honest in your comments, maybe I need to hear it from someone else.
P.S
It may sound as if we are a disorganized family, but I can assure you I am married to Mr Planner, control freak and perfectionist. It was just as if some things really interfered with our usual routine this week. Maybe we are being attacked spiritually.