And after all that...

...Abby's temp is high enough this morning that the school district will not allow in school. Again, Just a Cold. But her fever is over 100F (barely) and therefore she is home for the day.

I don't think I've mentioned here how lucky I am to have a job that allows working from home when the kids (or I) have minor illnesses or doctor appointments or what-have-you. It's amazing and it makes being a mom with an outside job much much simpler. I also have not mentioned how lucky I am to have a kid who likes school; I can be sure she's not pulling an Elliott-from-E.T. with a light bulb and a heating pad. At least not yet; she's only eight. Give her time.

I'm still taking Lizzy (3) to my mom's (she's my babysitter) for the day. Working from home with her awake and active and not sick is a lot harder than working from home with the coldy 8yo in residence. The 8yo will read, watch TV, and play Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, and require a refill on soup every so often. Working from home with the toddler is a whole 'nother prospect because a) she's three and needs a lot more personal attention, b) she does not grok the TV controls and cannot change her own channels/inputs (although she has mastered the power button, which makes me want to scream), c) does not yet read to herself, and d) cannot pour her own juice/make her own toast.

In the past few weeks, however, I can work from home effectively with the 3yo (although more breaks for the above-mentioned food-and-TV-and-books are required) because she is now able to play in her own room for up to an hour without adult intervention. I most often do this on Thursday afternoons; 8yo has swimming lessons and usual backup babysitter is on maternity leave. Bringing the 3yo to 8yo's swimming lessons is an exercise regimen in itself, so Grandma takes the 8yo to swimming and I watch the 3yo and work from home. This constitutes the what-have-you above.

Have I mentioned that I love this job perk? My contract is up after March, so either we will have to put 3yo in swimming lessons with the same school, hope that backup sitter is off maternity leave, or hope that I have Thursdays off with whatever new job I get. Or that hubby's work moves his days off back to where they were. That would be nice, but they're pretty unpredictable as to scheduling; it's a long and involved process and is very political, what with his union and tenure and so forth. Ugh. So glad my job and my boss allow me the freedom to telecommute when a child is sick.