On Tuesday, I almost ruined a batch of chicken soup Donna worked on for four days. It's a really wonderful chicken soup recipe that I love. It takes a while to make, and all the chopping required is not fun.
At its final simmering stage, she asked me to turn the burner off when the timer went off. I was with her in the kitchen when she asked me to do this. Apparently, I acknowledged her request, but I had no memory of it. So by the time Donna finished with Amanda (who has been having bedtime issues (screaming and crying after bedtime)), she came back to find much of the broth had boiled away and some of the good stuff was baked onto the bottom of the pan.
I was shaken. I knew she had worked on it all day, and to have my inattention ruin all her work was very distressing. As it turned out, she was able to salvage it by adding some water. After I added a bouillon cube, it tasted pretty much normal (which is delicious).
Looking back, I do recall her saying something to me, but I did not hear what it was. I was too busy being stressed out about Amanda's wailing. Donna went back to try to help Amanda work through it, and I escaped to the computer room to take my mind off Amanda's troubles. When the timer went off, I didn't even hear it since I was back in the office.
So what did I learn? I learned that I have to work harder at making sure I hear and understand what Donna tells me, even if one of my daughters is doing her best to divide my attention. I also learned we need to get Amanda back on a calmer bedtime routine. Last night, she screamed for 45 minutes after we put her to bed, she woke up twice in the middle of the night, and she slept the last half of the night on the couch.