But getting them ready this morning was not all fun. The girls were okay, except Sonja, who thought she would stomp around a bit, and fuss loudly about things. Then Jon....he got ready like a champ, until it came time for brushing his teeth, he was taking his sweet time, trying to zip a jacket that wasn't zipping, not letting me help him, in no particular hurry. Then he got frustrated and just sat there....I told him it was really time to get his sneakers on. He just sat there. I said it again....and if you know Jon, you know that by now he was upset at being hurried, so there were tears. I had to sit him down and put his sneakers on him (his boots were among the many victims of the big Boots-In-The-Mud Day last week).....and I sent him out the door crying. My soul is tortured. Seriously. I shouldn't have sent him, but if I let him stay home again, it is just sending the message that if you cry, you get to stay home. Ouch, I hate being a mother sometimes.But other times....I came out of the bathroom the other day to find this: (and I have NO IDEA who that bra belongs to...)
I did have a special day yesterday. My sister had two appointments in the small city, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I needed to go to a few stores, so I went along with her. In the first waiting room, I read a whole magazine! We went to lunch together, once we decided where to actually go. We almost gave up and went to McDonalds, but that is where we go when we have lots of kids with us and not much money. She had a coupon for a family owned place downtown, so we went there and enjoyed a very leisurely lunch, with lots of coffee refills. We went to Aldi (oranges and apples, $1.29 a bag), and Kohl's, where I got a few cheap things for the kids, 80% off (I find that 70 off is not cheap enough)....then to Wegmans. I got a lemon-poppyseed muffin and a large coffee for the ride home, and when I was putting the groceries in the van, I knocked the coffee over...tearwater tea! So sometimes it is difficult being the mom. I am never right, I don't always know where everything is, (rats, I just remembered that Suzanne has a book report project due on Friday...), and I sent Jon to school in the socks he wore yesterday. As he was crying and I was stuffing his feet into his sneakers, I saw that he hadn't changed his socks, and it broke my heart. The whole thing did. I want to cuddle and comfort and sit with him, not send him out into the cold, onto that awful bus, crying and sobbing. I win the worst mother award today. I want to go to school and pick him up.
Children have their own will. They have their opinions and personalities, and to figure out how to let them be themselves while at the same time getting them to do what they need to do without ME getting just plain Drill-Seargeant-y, is not easy. Jonathon does need to listen better, and not be so stubborn. I need to be more patient with him, but I still need to get him out the door! Or do I.?...it has crossed my mind more than once today to just take him out of school. But is that running away from the problem? Because it isn't really school that is the problem, getting him out the door is just bringing things to the surface that are there....hmm.
Charlotte Claire and Camille have been packing this morning. They think packing is taking a Walmart bag and filling it with clothes. We are going to the hotel for ONE night, but they seem to think they need 3 pair of pajamas each. They raided my diaper bag and were packing things from there, too. Then Camille put on a size 6-9months outfit that I had bought for $1 in the fall, a sweet little Carter's baby girl outfit for summertime.....then she found my stash of ten cent Christmas chocolates, and stuffed a few in her mouth while wearing the brand new outfit....rrr. Then they went in the laundry room and came out with underwear on their heads....which wouldn't be so bad if I KNEW it came from the clean basket.... I know, I know, I need to get off this computer......
3 comments:
Thanks for the great belly-chuckle! I just loooove the picture with the bra!
Oh my gosh that was sooo hilarious to read!! Your girls are just too much, they are so cute. You could totally write a book about your family, seriously. I love it!
About the school in the morning thing, that's weird. I thought all families were as perfectly lined up and ready to go, calmly kissing me goodbye and heading to school LIKE WE ARE. Ha ha yeah right.
Seriously, it's nice to know you're normal as we are normal - there can be tears and fits and rages and yes, laughs and good moods too in the morning. I honestly never know what it's going to be like from morning to morning. I have found myself taking a deep breath before waking them up in the morning - and also praying for the law of kindness on my tongue like it says in Proverbs.
I know, it IS hard being the Mom sometimes. Yesterday my 5 year old TOTAL drama queen ran away from home. She had stayed up until almost midnight the night before because she shares a room with her 10 year old sister who...yeah, another story.
So yesterday, oh my, lots and lots of drama. She didn't want to eat the lunch I made for her after coming home from morning Kindergarten, so she marched out the door and said she hates this house and is never coming back.
I didn't really think she would do it, but the neighbor lady knocked on my door a few minutes later to say that she saw her running down the street 2 streets over! Way past where she's allowed to be.
Oh dear Lord! So I ran out there and she was actually headed back. But stopped when she saw me. It's a bit tricky at that point because of course, she COULD turn around and run away again. And I'm not going to chase her...probably wouldn't catch her anyway!
It all worked out, as I was able to explain to her that God gave me a special girl named Grace a long time ago, but He made me promise that I would take care of her. And see that man over there? I told her that man could be a bad man, we just don't know! He could take her far away and I would never be able to take care of her again!
Trembling lips, defiant arms crossed, finally the point was made and she came home with me.
And then she had a nap. =)
On another note - my husband will be joining up this weekend with yours and your boys! I am so excited for them; it's going to be an awesome weekend. =)
Yesterday evening I was sick, in a violent and unpleasant way. My son had to go to school today, even though I wasn't any more, because he's not sick, and we have the 48 hr rule in our schools.
Tomorrow will be the same, because I'm not allowed back to school until Monday. :-( We aren't used to being apart, not since Rich died, because we have each other and tend to want to be together. It's not good.
It's hard being the Mummy when you have to send your child to school because it's the right thing for him. I always wanted to homeschool, but the bankmanager said no, go back to teaching or lose the house. It's was a tricky choice when phrased like that.... NOT!
Anyway.
*hug*
You'll get there, and they'll all be fine. Did you have the same days with the older ones? I bet you did, and like so many things, our mummy hearts protect us by forgetting them (or we're just too flaming tired to remember....)
Love to all your brood, and please tell Jonathan that even a teacher in England doesn't want to go to school sometimes, and doesn't like being hurried to go. *hugs* to him.
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