Dinner at the Hospital

Sometimes you think you are doing a good thing and it simply backfires.  Today our 14 year old left school to get an x-ray.  Her aches and pains are A-OK, she’s fine.  After her doctor’s appointment with her mother, She met me at the office for a few hours instead of returning to school.  When she called the World’s Greatest Husband to update him on our plan she asked if we could go eat dinner at the hospital and swim for the first time this season.  The World’s Greatest Husband took a last minute shift at the hospital and agreed to a quick swim and dinner in the hospital all in an effort to make our dinner routine a bit easier as I was on my own.  When she hung up she said to me “today is the best day ever!” 

See… a good thing… happiness, love and joy!

The pool went ok, it was freezing.  I played lifeguard with a sweatshirt and blankets, they splashed.

Dinner with the family – well that is where the story falls apart. Have you ever taken five kids to a cafeteria?  Let’s just say, it will be awhile until they allow us back.  After a quick lecture on "this is where dad works, behave." We enter the hospital cafeteria, it is busy, the nurses, the doctors, they know the routine, they are in and they are out… five kids with choices to make… not so fast. We were a big road block in the small space and the regulars didn’t appreciate it.  It got even better when the World’s Greatest Husband left his wallet in the car and I had no purse and you get the drift…. So the road block of 5 kids and one wife turns into a serious obstruction in a small space.  We wait, trays in hand directing zillions to “go ahead, I am waiting for my husband” all with one impatient teenager who was in a hurry to get to his girlfriend at the school concert.  He said “we only have 5 minutes until I have to be there” at least ten times while we waited for my husband. To add some giggles.... One child ordered quiche, like that was going to happen!  The same child couldn’t figure out how to dispense the plastic forks and wanted a slice of pizza once the line was closed.  7 straws and lots of napkins later, the World’s Greatest Husband looks at me and asks, “Is it Sunday?”  The World’s Greatest Husband and I have a saying…. “It must be Sunday”   --You see, Sunday is our “cranky” day.  The day that all five kids matched with the anticipation of the week ahead, make us feel a little weak in the knees.  So although it is only Thursday our little fun trip to make dinner easy was way more work than cooking for seven on a school night.  My husband just text me telling me he has five patients.... my response?  I have five kids! I have no sympathy tonight.