a fifo wife {fifo life: real life fifo : Karma or Murphy’s law}

So husband left for his buck’s week on Tuesday so of course we had B2 come down with headaches and fever on Monday, the day before husband left. So as husband flew over head at 11 am Tuesday bound for the Gold Coast and all that frivolous glorious fun those headaches and fever in B2 turned to headaches, fever and vomiting. Cool. I can do vomiting. Whets a little bodily fluid on my shoes, I have had worse. B2 stayed unwell until where I am sure in some secret conversation he had with B1; in which I was not included B1 complained of being unwell not believing him I sent him to school. Half way through the shopping I get a call from school…Debbie can you come collect B1 from school he has a headache and a fever. Of course he does I say.

I collect him and commence the medical routine we have established. Mattress on the lounge room floor, TV, towels and bucket. Everything ready. It’s about this time that husband calls me. He has just ridden the push, the plough whatever the hell it was called to tell me he was having a whale of a time. Great I tell him. I am happy for you. I am however not feeling the love for him right now.

Now here comes part of my dilemma  as a FIFO wife or just mother and wife plain and simple and its one I’m sure one you at some point can all relate to if not don’t send me a emails telling me I’m a bad mother that is already a given at this point in time. So I have no one else to call on to look after my B1 so do I cancel all activities for the other children? Do loose almost $50.00 in non refundable fee’s? Do my other kids miss out because of my life style decision because I have no one else to take care of my baby? I decided to go ahead and so I dose my B1 up on panadol and commenced the rounds of craft, swimming lessons, and netball and hip hop dance classes; all the while insuring he stays more than a fair distance from the crowd if not in the car. We transport a towel and discreetly a bucket with us at every stop. He is doing well in fact I start to think he is coming well but the frowns I’m getting is making me want to give them the bird but I don’t because that goes against my good mannered nature.

What a fool I am.

We get home. His temperature sores. Of all the kids that that are going to be sick this one is going to be the worst all ways has been. I send him to the shower to cool him down and as I hang the washing the other two come out screaming that their brother is vomiting in the shower. So I say push it down the drain…the young girl staying with us look at me like Im the most revolting thing ever. In fact I’m not sure she showered last night…I bleached it I promised.

Cut a long story about my sick kids short…which I am guess you really don’t need to hear about…I spent the night rubbing his back trying to get his temperature down..a 41 degree temp is not unusual for him. Scary but true. As I said he will always be the worst and I have been turned away from enough emergency rooms to learn how to deal with them.

So this morning I am tired. Husband calls me at 5 am why aren’t you up he says because b1 is sick. Oh he says and then goes on to tell me about his fabulous day planned. Baby I say him I’m tired. I have to go to sleep. Right he hangs up like I have told him Dream World is closed today.

The point of this? Why does crap never happen when I go away? Why do the kids never ever get sick when I leave? Why is that a cat 5 cyclone doesn’t hit when I go away for the weekend? Why doesn’t the dog go down with a tick when I’m away? Why doesn’t the clutch on the car go and he is left with three kids in the country where public transport doesn’t exist when I leave? Why?  Is it karma? Its Murphy’s law because I scrub the house to an inch of its bearers, insure the bills are paid and meals are made? Is it Karma because when I do go away for the night that I wish that secretly my children may become a little smidgen of unwell? Not terribly sick but enough that the washing machine is in continuous cycle of cleaning sheets and towels. Unwell enough that sleep becomes allusive, vomit is your new scent and having a little crap on your shoe is not from a mess the dogs have made.

Why? Is it the way? Seriously it doesn’t even happen when its home. So when I say to him when he is at work that I am tired from being up all night with a sick boy because for whatever freaking reason said boy doesn’t wake to vomit and so I fear choking which results in me having no sleep. He can’t understand because he has never seen it? Just like he has never seen me change a tyre, remove a felled tree or prepare for a cat five cyclone? Seriously tell me why…oh wait don’t…I do not have the time because B3 the last of the children has just vomited all over his shoes.

So tell me do you find everything goes to crap when husband goes away?

Xx Deb