my pity party, aka stay-at-home moms don't get sick days

Attention all Grandmas, Aunts, etc. to my children: Will someone please move to our city?

We knew when we made the decision to move that it would be hard not to be near family. But on days like today, I feel the loss almost more than I can stand.

I am really sick with a cold today. It's one thing to not feel up to doing any work. I don't even feel up to reading or talking or watching TV. I managed to lay in bed for a couple of hours, with the TV on Nick Jr. in our room, luring the kids to stay in there with me - though thankfully they didn't just vege in front of the TV the entire time, they brought their toys in with them and played. They also brought in their snacks, which are now scattered all over our bedroom carpet. But at least during those 2 hours, they didn't demand much and they didn't fight much, because I had little to no strength to break up fights or fulfill requests. I got up and tried to provide some nutritious food around lunch time, and now that I have been mostly upright this afternoon, the demands and fighting have begun. So in response to my pleading, Heath is coming home to take care of them for the last half of the afternoon.

I so wish I was one of those people who never get sick. Or one of those people who actually did well on 6 or 7 hours of sleep. But instead, I seem to get sick way more than everyone else, and need way more sleep, even when I'm not pregnant.

We have a babysitter in the neighborhood who we use for a few hours here and there when we really need to, but for a full day it would cost $67.50. Heath has lots of paid time off, which he didn't even come close to using up last year, but it's not really ideal for him to take sick days for me. We have friends we've made over the last year and a half, but they have kids at home and complicated schedules for school and activity pick ups and drop offs, and it would be a major inconvenience to them to take my kids for a whole day, especially on short notice. So we're back to the bottom line - stay-at-home moms don't get sick days. Even though when I was paid to work, I would have most certainly been lying in my bed at home all day when I felt this way.

I do really appreciate that I have the opportunity to stay home with my kids, and I do love being home with them, most of the time. I'm just having trouble being thankful in all circumstances today, so I know I need to work on that. I know I need a major attitude adjustment; I just haven't figured out how to accomplish it yet. I also need to work on my inability to ask people for help (which I think is related to my inability to determine if I really need help or if I am somehow shirking my responsibility and just need to suck it up - although today I know I was beyond just needing to suck it up). But despite that, I truly couldn't think of anyone that it would have been "fair" to ask to take the kids today. Thus, my request for relatives to move to town. Like, across the street would be good. Any takers?