Monday, March 8, 2010

accommodate

1 : to make fit, suitable, or congruous
2 : to bring into agreement or concord : reconcile
3 : to provide with something desired, needed, or suited (as a helpful service, a loan, or lodgings)
4 a : to make room for b : to hold without crowding or inconvenience
5 : to give consideration to : allow for
definition courtesy of merriam-webster

***********

there is a brief moment between falling out of sunday and jumping in to yet another busy week during which i actually breathe. then monday morning rushes at me and i don't feel like the world stops spinning again until that quiet moment sunday morning (or afternoon, as the case may be) after i slide across the back-row bench at church and breathe again.

during that moment just last night that now somehow seems like ages ago, i stopped to contemplate how i was going to

get to the gym (6:00)

come home (7:30)

shower and get ready for work

help k~ get ready

(will there be time for breakfast somewhere in there?)

run zack up to a drumline event at byu (8:30)

go to work early (9:00)

leave work on time (2:30) because i will only have one hour to get to the grocery store and pick up ingredients for chili, run home and defrost the sausage, wash out the crockpot still soaking from yesterday's knock-off cafe rio, brown the meat and toss in all the rest of the ingredients (which are no longer written down, so they may vary from time to time) and then

pick up k~ from school (3:30)

before leaving for suzie's softball game (4:00)

***********

they started the game early, which meant i missed her first hit (a double) as member of the phs softball team.

sigh

but i sat on the cold hard ground (didn't realize there was a shocking lack of bleacher space at the high school ball field) and cheered.

because that's what moms do.

i ran home in between games intending to change out of my work clothes and into something warmer and to drop off some chili to my friend jane who just had foot surgery, as i had promised to bring her some dinner.

got a call from suze, who is required to stay until all the games are played. she was not, after all, going to be playing in the next game (which meant i didn't have to go back). but she was hungry. i told her i'd send over a cup of chili. she didn't want chili. she wanted take-out. (can you hear the echo of the minced-fish girl in your head as i write this?)

and this is where all the accommodating came screeching to a halt.

she wanted take-out?

and after all i had packed into that day, in part, in a deliberate effort to avoid fast food.

not to mention my having created an awesome batch of homemade that's-homemade-from-scratch...so-scratch-there-is-no-real-recipe chili.

"no," i said.

i refuse.

i. will. not...spend good money (even off the dollar menu--it's still good money) for bad take-out that is, at least for tonight, so completely unnecessary.

i handed the phone to my husband and walked out the front door. i walked to jane's, cradling a piping hot quart jar of chili in my pocket with one hand and carrying fresh french bread and lindt chocolate in the other, because i'd lent my car (which happens to be the only one of our four vehicles that is running properly at the moment) to zack, who was trying to find someone who could pull off the mouthpiece from k~'s trumpet because it needs to be fixed before his concert on thursday.

later, after the game was over, and suze had devoured a nice hot bowl of homemade chili, i went back out into the cold to big 5 because there is another game tomorrow (and the next day, and the next, and a tournament this weekend) and the coach says they have to have a second pair of sliders. this one black. because while the white ones are fine under their white pants, they must have black ones for under their black shorts.

oh, and she needed new cleats.

she paid for half of her new cleats (which were not name brand and which were on sale) with her own money. she did this willingly. and said "thank you."

and i bought myself a swim cap.

because i needed one.

12 comments:

wendysue said...

GOOD Mommy.

This gives me no relief in my thoughts that somehow my schedule might get easier as my kids grow. At least I'm prepared now. Thanks!

La Yen said...

She said Thank You. See--you are doing it all just right.

dalene said...

wendysue--hang on. it's crazy (and this kind of crazy is definitely a crazy i do better than that kind of crazy), but it's really fun.

la yen--i'm bumbling through this without a clue. but i'm (mostly) lovin' it.

but tell me this: did you hear the echo of the minced-fish girl? because i did.

and yes, somehow most people are miraculously charmed by it and think it's so dang cute.

QueenScarlett said...

Dude...I'm dizzy. And... she saved her life by saying Thank You.

You are my hero.

sue-donym said...

I feel your pain. Except I do about one fifth as much as you do, I'm pretty sure. Whew!

One day she will be married, have a kid and then call you to say "I had no idea mom. I'm sorry". That's what I had to do, many times.

Leah Jean said...

I'm so proud of you for saying no and taking the chili anyway. You're a much better person than I...I would have kept the chocolate after that conversation. And I'm proud of Suze. She's learned a lot from her wonderful mom. ;)

~j. said...

Excuse me, but why would anyone not buy fish based on a commercial?!?!!!!!!!?!?!! I mean, she's just a LITTLE GIRL for cripe's sake, and she was being CUTE!! You all are just so...

oh, wrong post.

dalene said...

~j--awesome.

dalene said...

leah jean--if she turns out half as well as my first daughter i'll be a proud momma.

Jennifer B. said...

Way to go! This inspired me.

Physcokity said...

good mommy? Awesome mommy! I still would have told her no to fast food.

Melody said...

Another perfect Dalene moment. So glad I know you. So glad you bought a swim cap.