Day 25: Off day

Last Friday (day 25) was an off day for me.  That's really the best way to put it.  For starters, Neil flew to San Diego for a weekend of meetings.  Who schedules business meetings Friday through Sunday anyway?

Watching Daddy drive away

Chloe went from happy mood to foul mood the minute Neil left.  It was rainy and windy and just plain gross out.  And as the day progressed the kids became less and less likable.  Lots of shoving, kicking, "he did this", "she did that", no one taking responsibility for their actions, constant intervening on my part, you name it.  Chloe and Ryan sucked the life right outta me and it wasn't even dinner time before I wanted to hurt them.  That is when I decided we all needed some fresh air.  Normally I would have walked the kids to the park, but that was out of the question with the gross weather.  And so, I threw the brats in the car and headed to the grocery store to grab a Redbox and ingredients for mini pizzas.  Perhaps this change in scenery would break up the negative vibes.  Wrong.  Not a minute after walking into Savemart, the kids were arguing over who got to sit in the front of the cart.  And it didn't get any better from there.  Minutes later while standing at the meat counter, Chloe hit Ryan.  Now I'm positive Ryan deserved it, but that still didn't make it okay.  Being the overly dramatic munchkins they are, they both started screaming - Ryan because he'd been hit and Chloe because she had a really good excuse for doing it, but couldn't hear herself over Ryan.  Not 30 seconds after attempting to resolve the matter, a stranger passing by brought to my attention the fact that Ryan was trying to climb out of the cart.  Embarrassed that someone else had to bring this to my attention because I turned my head away just long enough to miss it, irritated by the look of judgement in the stranger's eyes, and exhausted by yet another confrontation with the kids, I threatened them with their lives and sped to the checkout stand.  THEN, Chloe had the nerve to ask me for a chocolate.  And when I said (very defiantly), "NO!", she had the nerve to ask me, "Why?" 

Aside from my devilish children, whom I love dearly but was not fond of on day 25, I ended up spending a lot more money than I'd planned to, all because they had samples of fresh cooked salmon at the front of the store; salmon, which tasted so good, which my kids BOTH gobbled down, and which happened to be on sale!  I hate the guilt that comes over me when I've just left the grocery store having spent $40 more than I'd planned to.  Normally I'm in better control when I shop.  But not this day.  And I was too worn down to even care.

We made it home and got the pizzas going.  The kids enjoyed creating their own works of art for dinner, which gave me a few minutes of solitude before they were once again bickering.  Who knew lying a picnic blanket on the living room floor could create such a scene?  Hadn't they exhausted themselves yet?  Once we determined who would be sitting on which side of the blanket (it practically required a committee meeting), I threw the pizzas in the oven and turned the movie on.  Despite the creepy previews, Chloe had chosen 'Alice in Wonderland'.  Not 30 minutes in, Neil called.  What a relief to hear his voice after the long day I'd had.  That is until I told him what we'd rented and he cheerfully informed me that it was already recorded on our DVR.  In other words, my trip to the grocery store where I battled 2 kids and spent money on unnecessary items, including $1.09 on a movie we already had was a complete waste of my time! 

Ryan ended up falling asleep on the couch.  That's right.  After arguing over the silly blanket, the kids didn't even lay on it at all!  Chloe lasted until the end but went to bed without a fight.  I think the most reasonable explanation for their poor behavior was sleep deprivation and no daddy.  Looking back now, day 25 really didn't seem so out of the ordinary or horrible.  But in the heat of it all, I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown.  I do love my children and I would never consider leaving them at the grocery store or selling them on eBay.  Some days I just feel weak and unable to handle the responsibilities of being a level-headed mom. 

There were a handful of happy moments during the day, and that's what I'll leave you with.

I am glad day 25 is long over, and I hope I never have to live a day like that again!