What a Day!

Whew!  Yesterday was one of the days that at the end of it you look back on the day and just think, "Yessssss.  We survived it."  It started Wednesday night with Reid throwing a major fit at bedtime.  That boy usually asks to go to bed so this was unusual.  Then I started not feeling well.  Lilly got up all through the night so I thought, "Oh great!  We are all getting something." So Thursday I called in to school to say we should probably just stay home. 

Shortly after Reid woke up as happy as could be.  I text to see if they had found a sub for me and they hadn't so I said I would just come in when Lilly woke up if she seemed to be feeling as good as Reid.  So I got ready...if you can even call it that.  I guess it would be more accurate to say "I got clean" because other than getting clean I really didn't do anything to get ready. 

 Lilly woke up happy so we all went in.  Them feeling great.  Me looking like death.  I am glad we ended up going because I felt better as the day went along.  And, honestly, I think handling 10 four year olds turned out easier than if I would've tried to take care of my two stuck inside yesterday. 

 My hair appointment was originally scheduled for Wednesday at noon but I found out Wednesday morning that it had been cancelled.  I frantically explained that we were going on our first marriage retreat this weekend and I COULD NOT go with my current hair style (think long roots and only goes in a pony tail but isn't really long enough for it all to go nicely in a pony tail).  So they squeezed me in yesterday at 2:00.  Let me tell you about 2:00.  One-it is nap time.  (Don't just breeze by that sentence.  Take it in.  Nap time is VITAL.)  Two-it is too late for Matt to take lunch and help like he was going to be able to do at noon on the previous day.  Three-it was too late notice to find someone to watch them.  So this meant that I would be taking BOTH children by MYSELF to get my hair colored and cut. 

(This has nothing to do with this story but Reid loves to have a wipe or a wet wash cloth and just put it on his cheek or his feet.  That is what is happening in the above picture.)  Let me just say that about 90 percent of the time my kids were wonderful.  They sat in the stroller, they colored, they put blocks on a string, and they looked at some magazines. But that remaining 10 % was baaaaaaad.  While I was getting my hair washed (and, in my defense, could not see my children), Lilly went to the back room.  I noticed she was there and called for her.  She came out and set a remote control down.  I decided to go ahead and put them back in the stroller since I was done processing and wasn't going to be able to fully watch them.  So I did...but we started to smell burnt plastic.  We couldn't figure out why but when we checked the back room we saw that the microwave door was open.  I walked over to the remote Lilly had sat down and picked it up and smelled it.  It was the thing causing the burnt plastic smell.  She had microwaved the remote.  I don't know for how long.  I don't know if any permanent damage is done.  The girls at the salon were not even sure where the remote came from. 

As I was getting my hair cut Lilly unsnapped her buckle in the stroller and then got out and unsnapped Reid's buckle too.  Now, had I stopped my hair cut and disciplined here...the remainder of the story probably would be totally different.  But we were almost done and I just wanted to get them out of there.  So I let them empty out the busy bag...I figured I will just clean it up in a minute and it will keep them from destroying anything else.  Finally my hair is done and I am cleaning up the mess and while I am cleaning up Reid find one of the bottles of styling products, opens the lid, and proceeds to begin pouring it out.  We apologized, loaded up, paid, and then left.  I was already exhausted.  And ready to be home.

 But Tank had a vet appointment.  So we rushed home, picked him up, and we went to the vet.  Me, two kids, AND now a dog.  Thankfully the appointment was at 5 and Matt was able to meet us at the vet's office right before we went in to see the doctor.  Tank got his shots and overall clean bill of health.  Except that he has a tumor growing on his eyelid.  The doctor said it isn't a big deal and that he will just need to have it removed.  That was a huge relief because I was pretty worried about him.  We came home and had dinner.  Then I locked myself in (or really locked the children out of ) the bathroom and took a relaxing bath. Matt must have been worn out because when I came out, he went in.  Ha!   I put the kids to bed and then didn't move for the rest of the night. 

This morning has been back to just our usual crazy.  Ha!  Reid dumped his cheerios on the ground.  It would have been a million times faster and less frustrating to just sweep them up myself BUT I know it is more important to teach him not to do such things.  So, I made him clean them all up himself.  It took about 20 minutes.  MoMo and PaPa Ray are on their way here to watch the kids so that Matt and I can go on our first marriage retreat.  We are so excited and I think yesterday was God's way of quenching any guilt I had about leaving them.  They are going to be fine and this night away (with them in good hands and covered in prayer) is going to make me a better wife and mother.