staycation not a break from selfishness

as my staycation draws to a close, i'm realizing once again how selfish i am. after starting a men's disc golf group at church a month-or-so ago, typically 0 men show up each week to play, including this afternoon. upon returning home somewhat defeated after the lack of turn-out, i found my inlaws had dropped by for an unexpected visit. this is fine and all, though i was feeling somewhat down, the girls needed a nap, and my selfishness didn't want to end my week off of work with this type of heightened stress. so i mowed the lawn, though rather less successfully than i'd have liked as the push mower wouldn't start, leaving trim work a bit choppy. daddy andrew's peer pressure led all three children into my weed patch, resulting in berries of some sort ending up all over the girls' shoes and clothes as well as the road, which looked like three small animals had been slaughtered at the end of my driveway.
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the highlight of the day came just after dinner. after everything had 'calmed' down, daddy wasn't mean, but a bit impatient with bad listening, chewing with mouths open, etc. getting frustrated, i got up from the table and went into the kitchen, asking sarah if i was being mean tonight or what. she said, 'yes', so i retired to my office couch for a siesta. well, the other night, i was trying to teach sonja how to calm down her body when she was getting excited. i told her to concentrate on moving slowly, and when she's in bed to keep her feet and hands still. i also had her close her eyes and picture the color pink. so after she finished eating tonight, she came to my office and found me staring. she asked if i was picturing the color green. i said that i was.
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another small gem came earlier during dinner when we were discussing the son of a friend. the poor little guy had to go to the emergency room last night as he's a bit sick. the girls kept asking why he was sick, if he was still sick, and how he got a bug. most of the questions were unanswerable, but the bug part sparked a funny, yet short dialogue:
alex - "yeah, daddy had a bug too."
sarah - "that's right."
alex - "and i had a bug."
sarah - "mm-hmm."
alex - "and sonja."
sonja - "no! i didn't! i had a fever. i had a worm."
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despite all this, i've done the unthinkable and checked my work email before going to work tomorrow. this is a mistake as it not only ruins today, but already helps me dread tomorrow more than i already was. and on top of the typical mountain of work which comes after a break from the job, i have another hill to tackle tomorrow. more to come on the latter...