Becky HomeEc-ey

On Tuesday I tried to do too much at once. It started off simple enough - Monica was coming over for some craft time. I am still working on my scrap afghan and I want to have it finished before the lawnmower party. I figured as long as Monica was coming over I might as well whip up some artichoke risotto. After all, nothing quite works up an appetite like knitting with acrylic yarn. We decided to meet at 7. I would have dinner ready and we would craft after that.

On Monday I went to lunch with Sarah. She mentioned that Tuesday was her and Jeff's two year anniversary. I asked what they were doing to celebrate. She said they were not doing much, as they did not get a babysitter. Jeff and Sarah are good friends, and I wanted them to be able to celebrate their anniversary, so I offered to babysit. We agreed that they would drop their daughter off at 6.

Risotto is a dish that takes a lot of stirring, so I knew I would not be able to make it at seven while watching a nine month old. Luckily Monica agreed to come over at six. I could finish dinner by six, we could eat as the baby got used to being at my house.

It was the perfect plan. Or at least it would have been, had I left for the grocery store before 5:20. When Monica arrived I was only 10 minutes into cooking. As always, Monica was a good sport and did not mind a bit.

When Sarah and Jeff arrived to drop off Tallie I still had not finished cooking. That did not appear to be a problem, because she was content to sit and check out her new surroundings. Then we sat down to eat. That is when the crying started. She cried for about an hour, after which she was a happy baby. By that time Monica and I were too tired to seriously craft, so we decided that watching the Olympics would be just as much fun.

After Sarah and Jeff picked up Tallie the balance beam competition came on. Monica and I were excited to watch Shawn Johnson. Both of us had avoided the news and discussion regarding the Olympics all day so that we could be surprised. Andrew arrived to pick up Monica just as Shawn was finishing her routine. We tried to convince him to stay until the end of the event. We told him that there were only two routines left, and then we would know who won. He said, "What's the big deal, you know she won?" At which point Monica & I yelled at Andrew.

After they went home I headed straight to bed. I was exhausted. Babysitting, knitting, and cooking are all fine on their own, but when you put them together it is just plain exhausting!