Just keeping it interesting...

Last week was a crazy kind of busy. By Thursday, the kids and I were tired of errands and each other. There wasn't a spot in day care for them on Wednesday, so I tried to space out the stuff I needed to do over a couple of days. No matter how good your kids are, there's a limit to how much they can take. That's true of me too, come to think of it...


Anyway, I had an Executive Board meeting with the MOMS Club Thursday night at 6:30 so R and I planned that I would meet him at work, we'd have dinner with the kids and he'd head home with the munchkins and I'd go to the meeting. Which actually reminds me that I need to make some phone calls and send some emails (making a note to do that first thing tomorrow). The bus drops T off right around 3-ish. I usually give him a snack, spend about 15 minutes just with him, then we wake up S from her nap and the normal chaos resumes.


The challenge Thursday was that I had to get the kids into the car and to base in time to do a few errands and then meet R when he got off work. The reality was that nothing went according to plan, but what else is new? I needed to have the kids in the car ready to hit the road by 4 if I was going to get any errands done. So what time did I get the kids in the car? Oh...around 4:30ish. On the way out the door (and I will never understand how I can take a shower, dry my hair, slap on some make-up, get dressed and be in the car before the kids can manage to get down the stairs, put on their shoes and coats and out the door). I know it was close to 4 when we headed for the stairs. I'm sure it went something like this:

Me: Come on. Coats, shoes, hats and gloves. Let's head for the stairs!
S: AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
T: Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy!
Me: What is it?
T: S is screaming.
Me: Yes, I hear that. Come on, let's go. We're going to be late.
S:WAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Me: Come on, S. T, go down and put on your shoes and coat.
T: Put on my shoes?
Me: Yes, coat and shoes please.
T: Put on my coat and shoes?
Me: Yes, please. Hurry up.
S: (loud shrieking)
Me: S, stop that! Let's go.
T: I want to take my ______________.
Me: Fine, but you have to carry it.
T: I don't want to carry it.
Me: Then don't take it.
T: No,YOU carry it.
Me: Lookit! I've got the diaper bag, S's shoes, my bag...my hands are full. If you want to carry _____, then you will have to carry it yourself.
T: I don't WANNA CARRY IT!
S: (more shrieking)
Me: (now sighing loudly) If you don't want to carry it, then leave it here.
T: NO!!!!!!!!!! I WANT IT.
Me: Then bring it but you have to carry it.
S: Mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy
Me: Come on, S, T. Let's go. (I'm actually at the top of the steps now) See, I'm going down the steps. Let's go...
T: WAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT WAIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
S: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIT
(the sound of me trying not to stomp down the steps)
SMACK! (whatever T wanted to bring is now dropped over the stair rail)
Swoosh! (I slide it under the steps with my foot)
Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk, T comes thudding down the steps.
S: Waaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Me: Come on S. You can get down the steps yourself.
S: (screaming and crying)
T: Leave S alone!
Me: Put on your shoes, please.
T: I WANNA WEAR BOOTS!
Me: Okay, put on your boots then.
T: OH-KAAAAAAAAAAY
S: still crying

five minutes later.....

Me: T, don't go outside until we are all ready to go.
T: I'm hungry!
Me: Yes, I know. We are going to meet Dad for dinner. S, sit down please so I can put on your shoes.
T: She doesn't want to put on her shoes.
Me: Well, that's too bad. I don't want to go insane, yet here I go anyway.
T: Gone sane?
Me: something like that
T: Oh, yeah, yeah. Sane.
Me: Okay, let's go get in the car.

Open door, kids scatter... five minutes later....

T: Mom! I got juice!
Me: Umm, thanks. (Pokes the straw into the juice box and hands one to each kid) Buckle your seat belt, T.
T: Okay.
(I go and close the door to the fridge and the house)
Me: Okay, everyone ready?
T: Yes!
S: more shrieking
Me: Okay..here we go!

I put the car in reverse and look over my shoulder to see T dumping out the remnants of his juice over his seat and the floor of the car.

Me: What?!?! What are you DOING?!?!
T: (jerks his head up in a jock nod and winks at me) Just keepin' it interesting....
Me: (momentarily stunned speechless)
Me: You know what's interesting? You cleaning up the car when we get home.
T: Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.

He's not even five.

Sigh.