It's A Hard Knock Life...

(I started this post last night but lost all my oomph before I could finish it...so here it is, finished. I know you will sleep much better tonight knowing this :)

Okay, not really THAT bad (as the title). But it was quite a day! The one thing about bad days is that it gives me a lot of fodder to blog about later. :)

Oh, and just to add a little fun, I am going to include the word "buckle" to indicate every time I had to buckle or unbuckle a carseat (one for each child requiring help)...I know, I know, I am a wild woman. :)

The morning started off fine. Well, the first few minutes. We got up at the same time as we had the last couple of days. I thought we left in plenty of time. But then we didn't. And we hit every red light I think. I successfully dropped off the little ones and got to my school as quickly as I could. I hopped out of the van and promptly heard the bell ring as I stood in the parking lot. I was about thirty seconds "late"...first time this year. I felt terrible. I am not the earliest bird. It just isn't possible. But I do NOT want to be late. I feel like it sets a bad example for my interns, for my own kids, for my students. The funny thing was I was telling my co-workers in the hallway just as our assistant principal came down the hallway. So I was not only late but tattled on myself. :) (She laughed...I hope she knows that is NOT who I am :)

The day itself wasn't terrible. This time of year life gets interesting. And even more so right now because our weather has been so very wacky. Students who are normally quiet suddenly seem to come out of their shell. Students who are hard workers suddenly rush to finish, with little attention paid to quality of work. And the arguing typically happens...I think they need a break from school and each other. :) It can be emotionally exhausting handling all of the upsets, hurt feelings, etc that happen this time of year...

After school, I needed to pick up a plant for Child 3's preschool teacher. I thought I would run there right after school. However, we had a gathering after school with our interns for next year. I don't yet know who will be an intern in my room (should I even be blessed enough to have one). But I wanted to meet them and have a chance to get to know some of them. So I went to the gathering, telling myself that when Mark got home around 6, I could just run to the store. After the meet and greet time, I went back to my room to pack up so we could go pick up Child 4. I glanced at my phone and noticed Mark had called. Not a good sign since he was supposed to be on an airplane. Oh, boy. His flight was cancelled. (Ironically later when I checked messages at home on our answering machine, we had a message from the airline letting us know that the flight had been cancelled :) The message was to let me know he was determined to get home and was catching a flight to Dallas and then on home but it would be much later. Bummer.

When I showed up to pick up Child 4, I found my little daredevil had just gone through a mud puddle. His whole "seat" was dirty and wet. The joys of boys! There wasn't much time, so I took a little towel with me to keep his seat from getting dirty. Buckle.

Next we ran to Child 3's school to pick her up. Buckle. Then we headed to the grocery store which I had so hoped to NOT go to with kids. Buckle. Buckle. We made a dash, grabbed a few things, paid, and headed outside. Oh, I have to mention that in the meantime, Child 4 doesn't think ANY trip to the grocery store is complete without screaming "NO" in his loudest possible voice. I think he does it on purpose because he knows there is little I can do to stop him there. Maybe I should try a time out in the tomatoes or something... And to add to the fun, Child 3 is in a really fun stage where she states anything and everything on her mind about anyone, no matter where they are. For instance, maybe a long haired guy got into our line. And maybe she took one look at him and said, "Mom, look at that guy! He has long hair. That is funny." Yep, gotta love those honest moments. Some days I look at her in amazement. Other days, I think "What was our hurry in having her talk? :)

As we walked out of the store, I was holding Child 4's hand (wouldn't carry him because he was so dirty) and juggling a bag or two. The kids (other than the youngest) were all helping me carry the bags. Suddenly one child started squawking...things were falling out of the bag. (I am still unclear as to WHY) Then I got complaints about how heavy the bags were. I let go of Child 4's hand for a brief minute to help with the falling items. That child saw a chance at freedom and took off for the parking lot which was RIGHT there. I am glad that my mother's instinct did kick in (it doesn't always)...I dropped the bag of Mtn. Dew cans to grab him. I must have looked pathetic. A young man immediately walked up and offered to help. Anyway, the squawking continued. I had to chuckle when another child grabbed the bag and carried it without complaint. We made a quick tour through the "greenhouse" in search of the perfect plant. No luck. Just whiny kids and a toddler who was determined to go out on his own.

We hopped in the car (buckle, buckle) and headed for home. We got home with 15 minutes to go before Child 2's gymnastics. (buckle, buckle) Of course, the little ones thought they were starving the whole time, so I had to get a snack for them. Child 2 quickly changed clothes while I checked the answering machine. I got nervous when I saw the flashing light...I was afraid Mark was stuck somewhere else. No, he wasn't, but I still about fainted when I heard the message. An impromptu baseball practice was scheduled for that night, in less than one hour!

Now is the time when I interrupt my own moaning and groaning to thank my mother for all she does. Ironically, I had been on the phone with her minutes before heading home. My mom had asked me if I needed any help, about Child 1's baseball schedule, etc. When I heard the message, I called and asked if she would go. She agreed. I am thankful...and blessed. So is Child 1. Otherwise he would have just missed the practice.

After our brief stint at home, we hopped back in the van (buckle, buckle) and got the gymnast to gymnastics about two minutes late. I really hated to just drop her off, but there was just no choice. We then drove over to my mom's house (thankfully, this is all within just miles of home) and dropped the baseball player off. Then we headed to Lowe's to check out their greenhouse (buckle, buckle). Child 3 was just amazed at all of the plants and materials, as well as the idea that we were "at a store" but still "outside". We finally settled on a plant and headed to the checkout. My little "speak her mind" child struck up a conversation with the complete stranger in front of us in the checkout line after she proclaimed LOUDLY, "Look at that, Mom...there is a LOT in there!" pointing to his cart.

We went back to the van (buckle, buckle), and ran by the ATM machine to grab a little cash. We then went back home (buckle, buckle) and ran in the house to stick our dinner in the oven (which thankfully I had assembled the night before). I turned the alarm off and went to the kitchen to turn on the oven when all of a sudden there was a HIGH pitched sound. The alarm was going off. I ran over and tried to turn it off. It didn't stop. It just kept going and going and going. And it sounded terrible. I finally called the company (their first step with the alarm is to call Mark...well, his phone was off since he was on an airplane). She walked me through it and it finally went off. I am pretty sure I had put in the wrong number the first time. I had other numbers on my mind...

After we got the food in the oven, we dashed back to the car (buckle, buckle). As I was buckling Child 3 in, she innocently asked, "Mom, why are moms always so busy?" It wasn't a complaint, a rebuke...it was just an honest question. She then said, "Is it because she has to take care of the kids?" Gotta love that!

We got to the gymnastics center about two minutes late. Seemed to be the story of my day. I thankfully got a parking spot in front of the building and ran up to the door to let Child 2 know I was there. She was just sitting and waiting. For some reason that hurt my heart... I wanted to be there when she came out. :(

We then ran back home (buckle, buckle) and enjoyed our dinner. And by that time, I was wiped out. Needless to say, I was overjoyed when Mark walked in the door around 11:15 last night.

So, maybe I will change the title to "Tomorrow, tomorrow, there's always tomorrow..." :)

Reba