Whelmed

 ~"It's a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it."~ W. Somerset Maugham

 It has been one of  those weeks..I am simply whelmed..neither over or under-I just am. Standing in a place where nothing more or less could happen that could possibly phase me.
I don't know what happened-only that everything happened at once..well, maybe that's too broad a statement. I should try that again...It was one of those weeks..where things were topsy-turvey..but, as I look back..maybe I shouldn't be surprised by the weird chain of events that has caused my general feeling of being whelmed..it all started..

  Last Friday, I was in the kitchen (where I seem to spend most of my time) getting ready to make dinner for the kids. In walks Oscar. So far-so good... All of my kids are constantly in and out of the kitchen-mostly asking the same two questions "What's for dinner?" and "Can I have a snack?" Now, I am used to being asked these same two questions at least thirty times a day-sometimes by only one child in the span of ten minutes.I think that on those days in particular, their repetitive asking of the same question is based on the concept of "refrigerator magic".  We all know what that is..You open the fridge looking for something good-only you can't seem to find it-five minutes (or less) later, you find yourself in the same exact spot-staring into the fridge  just to check and see if that "something good" has magically appeared...wash, rinse, repeat repeat, repeat..    Like I said-I am used to these interruptions.  but nothing could have prepared me for what happened last Friday...I was preparing dinner when Oscar walked in...he walked in carrying a binder and a folder...a binder and a folder with school work in it. School work. Oscar. Together. 
                      "I need someplace quiet."
                      "Huh?"
                      "I need it quiet so I can study."
                      "You...what?"
                      "I have a Spanish test next week and I have to study."
                      "Who are you and where have you taken my son?"
                       "I'm Oscar!!!"
                       "But...???"
  
It was a magical seven minutes. Seven minutes where I just...stood there-rooted in place..I'm not even sure if I was even breathing. Had I somehow fallen into a different reality? Are unicorns prancing in my yard? Have elves magically cleaned my bathrooms? Never-not once-ever has Oscar chosen to study-much less do homework..nor has he suggested doing either..Not without prompting..FIRM prompting..firm prompting and perhaps dire threats of lost desserts and maybe even computer privileges. In other words-this has never happened. So maybe I shouldn't have been surprised that the rest of my world followed suit...

 Monday started with an early morning meeting for one of my children. It was a productive meeting! We were all on the same page! We all agreed on the various supports needed. It was almost....*gasp*..EASY. But then...I went home and found out that we had run out of oil. (no oil-no hot water) The oil company I have used for nine years-decided that even though I had a thirty dollar credit with their company..I had been late with one payment a few months past-so, they were not going to deliver oil anymore..unless we paid cash up front. In the midst of my rather strong telephone discussion with my former oil company-my husband was texting me-asking for info to give to the new and much friendlier and nicer oil company we are now patrons of. At the same time,I had a friend texting me information about services for one of my kids..then the school beeped in.  One of my children had not one but two mini freak-outs at school.  which on one hand I felt awful for her-but on the other I thought "FINALLY! She's letting them know how she is feeling instead of saving it all up for home!" I had to go and pick her up. BUT-my new oil company was sending a truck over to fill my tank and start my boiler. What to do what to do! So I ran out the door...and as I pulled into the road, the oil truck arrived. Of course it did.   I told the gentleman that I HAD to go get my girl...and he was happy to wait for me! In the five minutes I was gone..my oil tank was filled, and I received a phone message from school about a different kid...So, while the gentleman was making sure my boiler would start, I called back the school while holding the   girl that I had just picked up and was now hanging on to me like Velcro.. I could not get a hold of the person who had called me-so I left a message.-and put down the phone...somewhere..And then- the oil man finished..and the phone rang..but I couldn't answer it because I couldn't find it...of course, then my cell phone rings....but I could not get to it in time because I was carrying my daughter-and letting the oil man out...Just in time for the school bus-The kids rushed in and of course the phone that I couldn't find started ringing again..AND
                             It was only three o'clock and it was only Monday. 

 I could go on about the frantic search for the phone..(I did eventually find it-and lose it again). I could tell you about my cell phone dying..and about losing a pair of pants.(not the ones I was wearing) How does a person lose a pair of pants that they were just folding? I could rant about the dinner I burned while trying to fix the computer..and about the other thirty phone calls I received-some of which I was actually able to answer! I really could go on..Instead..I'd rather wallow in the fact that as chaotic as things were this week-everything turned out the way it was supposed to. How rare and wonderful is that? 

It has been a week since Oscar performed the miraculous in my kitchen. A week that was filled with all kinds of obstacles that seemingly-almost like magic-worked themselves out.As hectic as things were, I really have nothing to complain about.  Although today, when Oscar came home from school, I asked him if he had any studying to do.He just looked at me with..scorn? "It's Friday. I don't do school work on Friday."  Crap...it looks as though things are back to normal...   I was kind of hoping that the elves would stop by and clean my bathroom...