Morning is Broken

It was probably inevitable that today would be a bad day. Despite successfully falling asleep at 9 p.m. last night in order to attempt to get well from a bad cold, I was awoken at 10 by the rattling back door, and remained awake, snuffling and shuffling for 4 hours. So the 6 am start was more harsh than usual.

Then, my "sick day" to recover continues:
6:45 a.m., take child's temperature (normal).
7 a.m., feed child.
7:15 a.m., prepare child's lunch.
7:30 a.m., get child ready for school. (aka listen to moans and cries about the torture devices known as pants, socks, and coats).
7:45 a.m., drive child to school, and work (unpaid) for 30 minutes to take care of things that cannot wait while I am sick.
8:30 a.m., drop crying child at kindergarten.
8:45 a.m., fill out paperwork to use one of my ever-dwindling sick days.
9:00 a.m., drive home.
9:15 a.m., settle onto couch with hot tea and english muffin.
9:30 a.m., answer work emails.
9:45 a.m., close eyes.
10:00 a.m., answer phone and speak to school secretary about child with fever of 99.9 in nurse's office.
10:01 a.m., call doctor's office to make appointment for relapsing child to be seen by doctor, per printed information provided by school nurse on original fever day.
10:06 a.m., learn that child is not welcome at doctor's office because according to said office, child has "picked up a new virus which should be treated at home unless child appears to stop breathing or spikes a high fever which does not respond to fever-reducing medication."
10:07 a.m., drive to school to pick up child. make cell phone call to mother in order to cry and moan about the unfairness of life and stress of being sick and having sick child.
10:18 a.m., retrieve child from school nurse's office. Note significant lack of signs and symptoms of illness in said child.
10:20 a.m., drive child home in silence while engaging in lengthy internal debate about what to do with said child upon re-entry to the household.
10:35 a.m., take child's temperature. Normal.
10:40 a.m., retreat to bathroom and turn on hot water faucet to the maximum.
10:42 a.m., respond to child's statement of hunger by unzipping child's backpack, removing child's lunchbox and shoving it in direction of child. return to bathroom.
10:50 a.m., decide attitude adjustment is only hope for survival. Throw out concerns that child is learning she can leave school at will and assume child feels like self (aka crap). Give child medicine for headache, a bevy of beverages and instruct child to rest (aka tell child "yes, you can watch PBS kids).Proceed to kitchen. Make buttermilk mashed potatoes and 600 cups of tea. Compose blog entry in head. Set internal timer until bedtime in head.