Getting sick is no longer the end of the world

Speaking from my experience as both a SAHM and a go-to-work mom, I can definitively say that getting sick is so much more terrifying when you're a SAHM. I remember the days when both my girls were very young and the mere thought of waking up with a scratchy throat filled me with panic, because (and I know you've heard this before) moms don't get to take a day off work. All that stuff you have to do every day when you're a mom? You still have to do it when you're sick. And those people you're dealing with, those tiny, cute people? They don't care if you feel like you got hit by a truck and they will continue to make unreasonable demands.

Contrast this with going in to work, assuming you don't take the day off. Yeah, you still have to do stuff but at least you're surrounded by people who possess the powers of reasoning.

The point is, I'm sick, and this actual conversation happened via phone between Jeremy and me this afternoon:

Jeremy: How are you feeling?
Me: Pretty awful.
Jeremy: Why don't you stay home from class tonight, then?
Me: Because I will get more "rest" sitting in class than I will being at home.

TRUE. Being sick doesn't scare me at all when I'm heading in to teach a class at 8am or sitting through one of my own in the afternoon/evenings. It scares me when it's just me and the girls, mano a mano, plus a whole pile of housework to do and dinner to be cooked.

Which reminds me of another benefit of having a nanny - I can let all that housekeeping stuff really and truly slide, and just rest if I need to. Plus, tonight I was all set to plow my way through making a high-effort dinner when Carol (the nanny) reminded me that I had made two pizzas last week and one of them was still in the freezer, ready to be popped in the oven. Bless you forever, Carol. Bless you and your superior memory.

In conclusion, it's not fair that I'm sick because I was already sick this season. I get sick once in the fall and once in the spring, like clockwork, but this is round two for Fall 2012 and I'm not happy about it. I was sick in early October and feeling pretty smug about it because I got it out of the way so soon. Hmph.