Plague, Pestilence, and Propane

So we begin our story...uh tale...complaint?!? Well it began the Thursday before Christmas. I was lucky enough to have Bear in early nap mode and comfortably snuggled in the bed together when the bedroom door opens. Now this is a bit of a shock since I don't have anyone at home with me except my current snoozing companion. Surprise it's my mom! She was called to come pick up Simon from school since they were unable to contact me...(No missed calls on my cell BTW but whatever) Mom announces my eldest has contracted and shows major visible signs of the chicken pox! (Plague for those into the title) I wonder aloud how is this possible since he was vaccinated, and authoritive as ever my mom replies with the school nurses answer...he's only had one shot so he is susceptible but it should be a much milder case since he WAS vaccinated. Being the super responsible mom I am, or maybe because I'm freaking out that chicken pox is not only infesting my house, but what about little Mr. Bear? Will both my kids be miserable and covered in spots for weeks?!? Of course my luck holds out as usual and the Dr's office closes early on Thursday. Being panicked and not quite awake I call the on call Dr. Who basically says nothing they can do but run their course and perhaps the youngest might get them too but not to worry as the vaccine will make it a much more mild case and also this will give them a much better immunity than the shot. Well great! Well it didn't kill us but dang it was fun having sick boys. I still don't know if the very few spots on Bear counted but he most definitely was not himself for a few days. Xander's took about a week to begin really clearing up but we survived and were then full on into Christmas season! I was taking a bath with Bear when I discovered he had lice!(Pestilence) So, off to grandmas we go to launder everything we own, figure out how to treat the dry clean only bed spread from my room and get that lovely shampoo etc for treatment...only to find on my way that I have $0 in my account! Yay for part time job for the single mom of two so fabulously dealing with life! So grandma comes to the rescue. We check heads (and shave down Xander's) and discover Bear and Xander are the only infecteds. I still treated my head! The next couple of days I pick Bear's head like a banjo as often as he will let me near. Xander was less cooperative, and thus resurgence after I had it beat on my youngest! But that's the cart before the horse! So,I was way behind on everything and had to call in reinforcements to assist in completing gift wrapping Christmas Eve. We got everything ready and Bear had his worst night sleep in I don't know how long...but after sleeping till 10am we were up opening presents! All seemed well in hand...Mom and my sister put in money together to pay a bill for me for Christmas and the Monday after my mom takes that money to my propane company. No, they don't come deliver propane they call me mid-afternoon on their day of delivery (the ONLY day they deliver to my area) and leave a voice mail as I am not near my phone/probably sleeping. My phone does not notify me and when I call the next day they are closed when I do call. So we are sitting around New Years Eve day when we run out of propane. They inform me they can't deliver till Monday at the earliest and there would be an out of service area fee in addition to a pressure test fee...oh and the $200 didn't cover a minimum delivery. None of this was mentioned to mom (that they had to call me before delivery, the minimum not met etc) because the gal only heard her say it was a gift NOT that we desperately needed propane. So now again I'm a bad mother and its my fault I'm poor and didn't have the money to fill the tank. Lovely! So, we have the coldest temps we have seen in our part of Arkansas in many years and they are SUPER busy and my mom finally ends up talking to the manager and finally making it clear it had been nearly a week without heat, hot water, or cooking and we are heating with space heaters and all that and she gets them to show up Monday. This of course begins the pilot light on the hot water heater not staying lit, near freezing of pipes 3 times AND the bathroom not having cold water till miraculously on The Coldest Night when it starts running again. So I gather my faith closely to me and imagine there will always be more near catastrophes but we shall survive!