The Odyssey of the Dusty School Jacket

This week was one of those weeks where the weekend was far too short, the white school socks refused to stay clean, and the house felt like it was spinning out of control. I can point to exactly one cause for this: life in the Fruitloop lane.

Monday started as a slow morning, but the laundry mountain was staring me down. I had an early start and managed a feat close to a miracle: I pushed through the entire pile—washed, folded, and packed away in a single day. Usually, that’s a 7-to-10 business day process! I’d avoided the laundry over the weekend because the wind was so fierce I was convinced half of it would fly away and settle in a different province. Plus, it was Mother’s Day and my father’s birthday, so celebrations were rightfully in order.

The Great Blanket Expedition

Tuesday brought sunshine and a biting cold wind—the perfect atmospheric conditions for washing blankets. I worked my way through the pile until I hit a snag: the big blanket was just too much for my machine. I had to stage an expedition to my mom’s house because she has the “heavy-duty” machine. I spent Tuesday evening letting the blankets wash while I took a deep dive into cleaning the house.

Why the sudden urge to scrub? Because our Wi-Fi was off. Again!

Due to some “power higher up” in a different town, the tower had a fault and we were disconnected. Murphy’s Law also decided to join the party; just as I was about to start a meeting, our data package shouted from the rooftop, “I am depleted and tired!” We’ve been struggling with this for seven days now. I’ve been less than friendly with the provider because when you and your husband both work from home, a messy infrastructure is a major problem.

DVD Nostalgia and the “Naked” Disappointment

With no TV to keep him occupied, my son started showing withdrawal symptoms. We had to resort to the “old school” method: DVDs and a physical DVD player. Who still owns those? Well, I do. Luckily.

I have a collection of about 80 movies and 6 exercise DVDs. Naturally, with so much choice, he couldn’t choose one. He was particularly intrigued by a DVD titled Look Better Naked—which is actually a women’s health exercise routine from years ago. He was very interested in the word “naked,” only to be deeply disappointed when he realized it was just a boring workout. After 45 minutes of contemplation, he picked a movie, lost interest, and the cycle continued.

The Prodigal Jacket Returns

Wednesday went by in a flash. I honestly don’t even know what I did, yet by the time I looked up, the house looked like a bomb had exploded. It was as if I hadn’t spent Tuesday night cleaning at all. Muddy footprints across the floor, dishes a mile high, and a new mountain forming in the laundry basket. It’s a never-ending loop.

But then, a small miracle happened.

When I fetched my son from school, he casually mentioned, “My teacher found my jacket, it’s in my bag.”

Wait, what? I have been to that school three times searching for it. I had reached the point where I’d said, “To hell with it, it’s gone for good.” No matter how big and bold his name was written on the inside, I assumed it had been “rehomed” by someone else.

But it came home. After being abandoned in the playground and thought lost forever, the prodigal jacket returned. I can’t help but wonder what adventures it’s been on. Where did it go? Who did it meet? Was it just tired of our house and the endless laundry piles, only to eventually give up and come back?

The school’s “Lost and Found” process actually worked—it just took a full month to process. The result? The jacket smells like a dusty classroom. It was likely stuck in a corner somewhere, never to be investigated until Wednesday.

The Weekend Haze

Sitting down now and taking a breather, this week has been a complete blur. The weekend couldn’t come fast enough.

• Do I have plans? No.
• Do I want to make plans? Also no.
• Do I want to stay in bed and let the house explode while I ignore it? Also yes.

I said last week I was going into hibernation, but the truth is, I probably won’t. There’s always another muddy footprint to clean or some kind of homework to rehearse. But for tonight, the jacket is home, the blankets are clean, and the Wi-Fi is (hopefully) staying on.

But tonight, I’m just staying still and watching a cartoon movie while cuddled up in my freshly washed blankets (maybe the whole weekend too).