Day 123

Even Steven . . . the art of raising Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Perhaps it is best described with Newton's Third Law:  For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.  For every day of grief your children give you, there is an equal bounty of joy.  Sunday was a disaster and Monday was a pleasure.  The children's behavior turned 180 degrees from the day prior.  So much so that I was greeted with a special comment from the youngest's French instructor that he had been particularly kind to others on this day as well as a congratulations on his progress with the language.  The eldest's day was equally stellar, and the evening proved to be a continuation of the same.  No fighting, no complaining, just sweet, simple silence.  Early bedtimes were adhered to and neither seemed bent on destruction.  If I knew the recipe, I would patent it and make a fortune.  There seem to be so many variables in the equation that replicating the result is nearly impossible.  Is it a result of too much sleep or not enough sleep?  Too much attention, or not nearly enough?  Whatever the "goldilocks" factor is, the planets aligned and caused Mr. Hyde to go into hiding and allowed us to spend some quality time with the Doctors Jekyll.

As for me, it was a case of the Mondays.  Attitude and energy at low ebb, it would be a relief indeed that the kids had such a wonderful day.  It boosted my spirit and gave me a renewed sense of purpose.  Our move is less than two weeks away and we have much to do, so the increase in focus was a welcome gift.  Once again we must endeavor into the administration of life.  Changing address and getting all the proverbial "i"s dotted and the "t"s crossed.  Once again I find myself in a telecommunications black hole.  My cellie has refused to reboot and will now require a trip to our local mobile retailer for a once over.  If replacement is required, Steve Jobs will be getting my business.  Bill Gates has failed me for the last time.  My loyalties and emotions are no longer his to toy with.  It is to be a big "SALES" week in the Metropolitan area, so perhaps I won't have to take out a bank loan to afford the upgraded product.  The week will likely see a great many Euros freed from our pockets as we must endeavor to outfit our new home with appliances.  Picking them out isn't likely to be difficult, but picking them up is going to be a bit sticky.  As sturdy and spacious as the 206 may be, I have my doubts that the roof will hold up under the weight of refrigerator strapped to it's lid.  We haven't yet figured out how to jump this hurdle, but something will work out . . . it has to.

We are looking forward to the move regardless of how exhausting the event is likely to be.  Big things are on the horizon.  The last day of school and my 11th wedding anniversary are just days away.  We will celebrate them with a slice of pizza and a trip or two in a moving van.  And my wife says I'm not romantic anymore.  For now, I am going to catch up on as much sleep as possible, for the coming weeks promise to be sleep deprived.  I will keep you posted.   I can't imagine I will escape from this fiasco without a juicy story or two to share.  Take care and talk to you again soon.