My %^$&# day

Kristigirl wrote: So last night I came down with a fever and had the chills, really sore throat, just felt like crap. I told my friend who I have this daycare thing with and asked her if she still wanted me to come over today. She said yes since on Thursdays we have like 10 kids and she needs my help.

So I went to bed pretty early last night so I could get plenty of sleep.

Then I wake up at the crack of dawn this morning, still exhausted and feeling nasty and load both kids in the car so I can be sure and get to her house early enough (she lives 45 minutes away from me). It's stressful for me because I have a 2 hour commute (roundtrip) everyday with my 2 young kids in the car and she makes it sound like she's working way harder than me just because the daycare is in her house and I don't get there first thing in the morning when the very first child gets there. I'm sorry but this was her idea and I think if she'd stop spoiling her own daughter and let her cry (scream) for a few minutes, she'd be able to take care of one extra child in the hour she's alone there before I get there. She also prefers I stay until the VERY LAST CHILD is picked up, even though she has her 3 pre-teens in the house who help out a ton and she only has 1 child left there the last hour. Which means I don't get home until close to 7. So I'm basically working (with my kids) 12 hours a day. I leave around 7, don't get home until 7. All because she doesn't want to have her daughter and one extra child there by herself.

Her dd is 10 months old and VERRRRRRYYYYY difficult. She SCREAMS in this blood curdling scream whenever my friend puts her down, REFUSES to take naps, screams and screams all day long, whever her mother isn't holding her. She's perfectly fine as long as my friend is holding her so she obviously needs to devote a LOT of attention to her.

So I stay there with all 6 kids while my friend goes out and gets a prescription filled for her screaming banshee of a child this morning. Takes about an hour or so, no biggie. But I am feeling like crap and don't want to even be there to begin with and with my friend having to devote SOOO much time to her dd, I need to pick up a lot of the slack with the others, plus it's just stressful to have a child that is screaming like that in the house. Her dd had a very rough day, she says it's because of allergies but I've never seen her any other way so I don't know. We both work hard all day, her mostly taking care of her child but thankfully most of the others slept a good part of the day.

I leave at 5:30, can feel my fever is back and my throat is so sore that I can barely swallow. My son screams the whole way home but I still have to go to the chiropractor, and to the store to get medicine for my throat. So I cart both kids in and out of both of those places. By the time I'm on my way home it's 7:30. When I get home, Carter is still screaming and I have to go to the bathroom so I nurse him WHILE I'm peeing to get him calmed down AND getting Audri's bath ready (ah, the joy of multitasking). BTW, my wonderful husband got to go to a nice, relaxing dinner all by himself and stay out and fart around town until his addiction group started tonight. Well good for him, I'm alone here with the kids all evening while he's talking about his psycho problems with a group of supportive friends. It's 9:00 and he is just now headed home. Maybe I should take up an addicition. I put Carter in his bouncy while I give Audri a bath, I bring up some baby food to try to feed her since she refuses to eat veggies and I had the brilliant idea that maybe she'll like veggies in baby food form better. Well, she didn't of course and as I was carrying it downstairs it spilled out of my hands and flipped in the air, splattering bright orange sweet potato mush about 10 feet down the carpet and all over the walls. So I hurry and try to wipe that up. Yeah, had a lot of luck with that. It looks like somebody vomited orange paint all over the carpet now.

I then quickly get Audri in her jammies and put her down, take a quick shower and finally comfort my traumatized baby. He is now laying here on my boob completely exhausted, my throat is STILL killing me and Audri is singing to herself upstairs. Am I a whimp because this day just kicked my a$$!!!

gr33n3y3z replied: it sounds like you had a very bad day
Sorry I hope you feel better tomorrow

Kristigirl replied: Thanks. Hopefully that didn't sound too much like a whine...even though that's exactly what it was, LOL. I have no one else to talk to about it so I might as well spew it on the internet! Thanks for replying, I wasn't expecting anyone to.

JAYMESMOM replied: Every mom is entitled to whine all she wants. I am so sorry you had such a rough day. I hope you feel better soon.

kit_kats_mom replied: That sounds like an awful lot...on top of being sick especially. I would have told DH he needs to call in sick and take care of the baby, told your friend that she'd have to deal with it on her own today & crawled into bed with a bottle of vodka & a stack of trashy magazines. LOL Ok, maybe not the vodka.

BTW, does your friend have a sling or a bjorn? After having one high needs child (Katherine) and one minimal needs child (Lauren) I can attest to the fact that a sling or bjorn is a lifesaver. Katherine practically lived in one or the other from birth until one year.

GavinsMommy replied: well i already read this on the other board

that sucks and i wouldn't have gone over there if i were you...i'm sure if she were sick she would leave all the work to you and wouldn't help.

sorry you spilled stuff all over the carpet

hope you get to feeling better!

Celestrina replied: That's absurd that she expected you to come when you are this sick! I hope you feel better soon. And good luck getting that stuff out of the carpet.

aspenblue1 replied: Sounds like a rough day. I hope it gets better .

mammag replied: That's the problem with being a home daycare provider. You're expected to watch them even if you are sick.


Sorry you had such a rough day. Hope today will be better for you.

CCTandME replied: Hope your feeling better today. One thing to try on the carpet is this stuff called Gonzo. It's a stain remover that costs like $3-$4. I got it at my local grocery store and it's amazing. Took stains out of clothes that I thought were permanent.

mom21kid2dogs replied: Ugh!! Sounds like a perfectly awful day! Hope today you feel better! ITA about the sling for the hig needs baby. It was one of the few things I couldn't live without when Olivia was a baby!!

Alice replied: I hope you're feeling much better today.

I can't believe your friend-- and the parents whose kids you're watching-- want someone sick caring for their kids. Your friend REALLY needs a backkup plan for the times when you-- or one of your kids-- are too sick to be around other people's kids. She also doesn't sound like my #1 choice as a child care provider, based on what you say about how she's treating her own child.

I hope today goes much better. Your kids sound resillient enough to get by.

Take care!

~KARA~ replied:


I agree!!!
I hope you feel better!!

amymom replied: Whine away!! I hope today is not as stressful.

bwalkerletters replied: Hope you get feeling better Kristi, and hope everything settles out at home..... We'll see what happens when a man whines on here hahaha

Kristigirl replied: Thank you all I'm feeling a bit better today...it's mostly just my throat today and I have more energy but I sound really scary, LOL. My voice is all hoarse and scratchy. Tonight my in-laws are having this birthday dinner for me, dh and dh's brother so I'm hoping she lets me off early for that...I'm talking like 45 minutes early and she will only have one baby at that point, I mean give me a break. I was talking to my dh about it yesterday and he said "when did she become your boss" and I think he's right...we're in this dynamic where she's the boss and I'm having to ask her "permission" for everything and that just feels weird. I agreed to help her with this when she ASKED me to help her and now I feel like I'm always getting the short end of the stick. And thanks for the advice on the carpet cleaner!! I'll definately check that out!!

paradisemommy replied: i think you need to tell your friend that you are in business to suck it up and stop expecting you to be there so early (for one additional child) and stay late (for one additional child) especially when she has her older kids to help her out. i would tell her either (1) i am coming in late because i am sick or (2) i am not coming in at all - take your pick.

if she was the one that wanted to start the home daycare and she insisted on having it at her home then SHE needs to be the one that takes care of the kids more, NOT you.

sorry for your rotten day..big hugs out to you and lots of

~*~*~*~GET WELL VIBES~*~*~*~*~*~

My2Beauties replied: Wow you did have a rough day made me want to scream just reading about it! I'm so sorry that y ou had to go to work sick. I think that your friend needs a sling like Cary suggested, sounds like it might save her sanity! I also agree that she needs a back-up plan when the either of you is sick so that you don't have to report to work, and I would also let her know that since this was her idea and it's in her house you are only obligated to work 8 hours a day! That is my opinion! Hope today is better for you hon! Just take a deep breath and relax - and get to the doctor's about that sore throat hon!

iluvmysweetiepies replied: What a rough day!! I hope you continue to feel better and I hope you day to day was a LOT better! I agree with the others, you should talk to your friend and make up some rules. If it's her business, why can't she handle taking care of one baby/child (and her own)? I can't understand why it would take two adults (plus any teens/preteens in the house) to take care of 1 child? I hope you can work things out.

kel replied: jeeeez i got tired just reading that!
that is a hectic day!!
i would defintely have a chat with that friend of yours..thats just not fair
hope your day is better tommorrow and hope you get well soon:)

beckamouse replied: da## (excuse the language) that day wouldaa kicked my a$$ too!!