Big Girl Panties

So I was talking to my friend Jen the other day (who already lives in Japan) and she was telling me about this person she met who hated living in Japan. Jen told me how she wanted to tell her just to buck up and “put her big girl panties on,” which I thought was hysterical!

Then yesterday I found myself pretty strung out. On Thursday I heard 3 drug cases at work, all of which resulted in students and parents CRYING and begging me to let them graduate or not kick them out of school. Then daycare called and told me to come pick up my kid, who they thought had pinkeye. After an hour at Urgent Care, I took Wyatt to CVS to get his prescription, where I attempted to entertain him for another hour, and during which time the woman told me three times that my insurance was not valid. Umm, it’s TRICARE. It’s government issued and universally accepted. How is it NOT VALID?

Wyatt was starting to freak out, and while I’m giving her Tommy’s Social Security Number for the third time in an hour, he decided to stand up in the cart whilst still buckled in. I had to unbuckle him because he was twisted up like a pretzel, and then he proceeded to run away from me in CVS. When I finally caught him, I drug him back kicking and screamingto the pharmacy counter where she had finally figured out how to properly enter my husband’s information. And then the pharmacist told me that she was sorry, but they were actually out of the medication I had been waiting over an hour for.

My inner monologue included several curse words, a pre-written note to the manager, and a laundry list of things I could do to this woman’s car that I knew was likely parked outside. I seriously almost lost it.

Instead, I mustered up as much maturity as I could, and said, “Fine. I’ll just take my sick two-year old over to Walmart and wait there for an hour.” I bet that showed them.

When I finally got home from Walmart, Wyatt was still freaking out, work was calling my cell phone, and I had 5 hearings to reschedule for the next day, since I couldn’t obviously take Wyatt back to daycare.

Friday was even worse. I was calling into work all day for stuff, and I messed up something pretty major. I was in charge of handling the arrangements for our graduating seniors’ farewell party, and get this: I forgot to order the food. So people show up to this party that I invited them to, and there’s no food, no cake, no punch. And I’m not even there to fix it. For the love of God! I was so upset with myself.

Wyatt was being a cranky pants(not that I blame him), and Tommy came home with lots of great news (note the sarcasm) about the next two weeks and another stack of paperwork for us to plow through for our move to Japan – which, by the way, they informed us we should not worry about until Tommy goes to his school in California. Which, by the way, is not realistic in the least, and means that my cats won’t be able to accompany us on the plane. In the midst of all this, we learn one of our parents has been hospitalized.

At this point, I am trying so hard to keep it together but it just isn’t working.

My friend Michelle stopped over then to pick up the May baskets I had made for her boys, and when she pulled up she took one look at me and asked me what was wrong. At which point I burst into tears and started babbling incessantly. And then Michelle did what any good friend would do. She told me to put my big girl panties on. Not that bluntly, mind you, but the message was pretty clear. Figure out what to do, and do it.

And she’s right. Things are sort of a mess right now, and it’s not going to get easier anytime soon with Tommy leaving for California for 3 months. But having a pity party isn’t going to solve a whole lot, so I might as well figure it out. Starting right now, because we just got back from Urgent Care again, and Wyatt has some crazy virus now.

So I did the only thing I could yesterday. I drank a glass of wine. I got a pedicure. I went shopping. My last stop? I went to Target and bought three new pairs of Big Girl Panties. One in pink, one in black and one in green. And today I decided to put the pink ones on first, one leg at a time.

Now. If I could just get that wedgie out of my a**.