Something had to give

I feel like there is never enough time for everyone, and there is always more to do. I only manage to get things like teaching a French class done because I figure I will be stressed and overbooked no matter what, so I might as well fit one more thing in.  But my dogs don't get walks, my kids' laundry doesn't get put away for weeks sometimes, and I have a pile "to file" that has been composting for a year. But I have been muddling through. But lately, as surgery day gets closer and my stress level goes up, I think my muddling may have turned to bungling.

I just found one of Peter's hearing aids in the washing machine.

This weekend our washing machine had its own little breakdown. So we took all the wet clothes out of it and tried to reset it. Eventually I found a kid bandaid in what must have been a key spot, because when I turned it on (empty) it worked. When the empty cycle ended I picked up all the clothes on the floor- they were wet, so I thought the pockets had already been searched- and I put them in the washer, with an extra rinse cycle.  All day today I have been looking for that left hearing aid. I knew it was somewhere in the house, but it wasn't in the cases.  I could actually feel my dread increase as I went down to the laundry room. I checked all the pockets of clothes coming out of the dryer and didn't find anything. But as I was putting the now-clean stuff from the washer into the dryer I saw that flash of blue that made me feel like throwing up.  One hour and nine minutes....that's how long that cycle had been...

The hearing aid is in a jar with desiccant beads, but they have been open a while, so I don't know if they are still good.  So I dumped some dry rice in there, too (recommended on a yahoo group for just such an occurrence). I called the hearing aid center, and the hearing aid Audi is on vacation. They said to leave it overnight in the case, try it, and bring it in tomorrow if it won't turn on.  They have a vacuum dryer that might help if the beads/rice don't do the trick. I think it is still under warranty- but would stressed out, overbooked mom be one of the things the warranty covers?