>La Petite has been coughing a little deeper and a little worse each day. Today she had a slight fever. What if she’s getting bronchitis again? The health center on campus probably won’t be open until classes start three days from now.

Amigo also has a stuffy nose and cough. He’s complaining that one ear is plugged up now, but doesn’t hurt – yet. I sense an ear infection coming.

Husband has a week of vacation days coming up so he can deal with Amigo’s odd schedule during the high school’s final exam week. Husband’s parents have assumed that he’s available all week to do chores and run errands for them. The sandwich generation rears its ugly head yet again.

Several meetings are on the calendar at my school next week, and only a few look to be really useful. Most are more likely to be necessary evils: the kind I need to attend to create a paper trail, but won’t have a direct impact on helping kids.

La Petite’s medicine refill came in the mail 1 1/2 hour after she left. She put off getting it refilled until the last minute. I’ll mail it to her, but geez. A few days earlier would have made a big difference.

Amigo was oppositional and outspoken and obnoxious this morning. Feeling under the weather? Upset that his sister was leaving? Coming down from his birthday celebration? Resisting returning to routine after two days off from school? Who knows? Could be all of the above.

Husband’s workload is increasing as his employer joins the trend of budget cuts and layoffs. No one is immune. My “raise” is eaten up by increasing premiums. I should feel grateful to be working, but it’s difficult to find motivation as the workload grows.

My hearing aid battery just died. I’ll go get a new one, and then I’ll see if I can schedule a new appt. for cleaning and service. Sigh…another item on the calendar.

Speaking of cleaning and service, my minivan doesn’t like the bitter cold we’ve had lately. The driver’s side window doesn’t go down when it’s below 10 degrees F., so I can’t indulge in simple pleasures like drive-up ATMs or drive-through coffees. More important, though, is the fact that this window mechanism needs repair. We’re putting it off until spring when cash flow is a little more fluid.

No wonder I’m feeling a little bit down. By themselves, each one of these items would be a light weight, easily hefted and handled. Add them together, however, and the weight of the world is on my shoulders.

Or maybe it’s just PMS. Pass the chocolate!