Good news! It's not Al Qaeda.

Well, it didn't really get "better." The missing math was found (in a place I'd already looked thrice, I tell you) and done, without too much fuss. So that was nice. As was the hour of online math tutoring the eldest two had. Oh -- and the A that E got on her English test. All nice things.

At some point I started growing a headache and went looking for caffeine. That effort ended when I lost my grip on a Frappucino bottle that was already travelling at a not inconsequential rate of speed toward asphalt. I cleaned that shattered mess off the driveway, and my running shoes are now dripping dry in the tub. They hadn't been pristine before, since I had only just finished wearing someone's abandoned tepid cocoa -- at least that cup hadn't broken. Instead of coffee I ended up with four cups of pear white tea. Lovely, to be sure, but not the same. The instant coffee was found between bags of tortilla chips. Yes it was. It's been rescued and returned to it's pharmaceutical locale.

The disposal has been indisposed all day, leaving the sink a foul, undraining mess (the needed tool seems to have gone into witness protection). At suppertime, Q kicked over two mugs (two!) and busted them to smithereens. He was dismissed to the tub, which is probably what he wanted anyway. I have run two more loads of laundry, planned lessons in greater detail for the next couple of weeks, served up a squash/quinoa/butter/brown sugar/cardamom concoction for supper and medicated those needing it for bedtime.

The water bottles and snacks for tomorrow's Therapy and Van Maintenance Tour are set out. The breakfast cookies are cooling and the veggie sausage patties waiting patiently in the freezer. There are juice boxes and diapers and wipes in the van, which has been emptied of all extraneous materials following our trek east for a memorial service yesterday.

There were less complaints and more productivity today from certain pupils here. It might have had something to do with all the broken glass and the look of dead calm/frozen disbelief on my face, but I'm hoping it has more to do with my unwavering fortitude in the face of: "Whyyyyy?"

The late afternoon was salvaged with repeat playing of Larger than Life and You Get What You Give (we decided that they're definitely kicking, erm, donkeys, therein). Inspirational music, for some of us anyway. U2's Beautiful Day helped most. The children are mostly down now, only Q is still giggle-shrieking. My dad discovered the whereabouts of the singular "magical" tool and the sink is draining again.

G has now reappeared to finish his writing assignment. Crazy boy.

So the long and the short of it is that I'm going to resist the urge to draw parallels between my day and terrorist plots and instead revel in the sounds of very much more quiet than there's been all day. Q needs a little water before he sleeps. I'm contemplating finding something to watch online. Mayhap a thing with no redeeming qualities, save humor.

And one more thing, before I go back to the laundry. Several years ago I was listening to someone talk about their life circumstances and came away with a fantastic quote: If you've got problems that money will fix, you don't have problems.

Kiss those babies and the one you made 'em with. It's a Beautiful Day. Don't let it get away.