One of Those Days

Today has been "one of those days." The boys woke up at 6:15 this morning (ugh) but in very good spirits, so we made pancakes for breakfast and played basketball in the garage while I reorganized some stuff. While Kel took his morning nap, Mo played Zingo on our bedroom floor while I took a shower. For the first week of solo parenting, it was a great morning, really.

Then we packed up and went to Newcastle Beach Park, a lovely and large park on Lake Washington, for a Fourth of July picnic. We had fun but it was REALLY hard to keep track of the boys all by myself. Mo was riding his tricycle along the path, which runs along the perimeter of the park. And Kel was totally hooked on the playground equipment. I was convinced that as Mo rode past the parking lot, I would turn my back and focus on Kel only to have someone grab Mo and run (I've already lost him in a shopping mall and let him fall into a pool because I turned my back to wipe Kel's nose - I assure you, my fear is based in reality). Needless to say, I was a little stressed and quite relieved to go home for naptime.

That was the beginning of the end. Mo wanted to nap on the rug just inside the garage; I was too tired to argue or try to figure out his logic. Five minutes later, he came upstairs to announce that he had an accident (both types). Lovely. He refused to nap after that, and was therefore cranky the rest of the day. He had a total meltdown when I suggested that we have a mini-bagel and cream cheese for snacktime (NO! I WANT A MINI-BAGEL AND CREAM CHEESE FOR BREAKFAST! NOT SNACK! . . . Mom, I'm hungry).

Dinner didn't get any easier. Kel decided that the small space just between my ankles was the perfect spot to take up temporary residence as I boiled the noodles, warmed the sauce, and cooked the meatballs. He also decided that the best noise to make while wrapped around my legs was an alternating dinosaur roar and fire engine siren. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I'm in favor of kids in the kitchen. Tonight, I was ready to put up our old tension-mount doggy gates to keep them out. Out. OUT.

Midway through dinner, Mo went running upstairs to go potty. Then he came back downstairs and wanted to snuggle. Five minutes later (anyone catching this theme?), he had another accident, worse than the first. Double the lovely. I hadn't finished dinner yet, but I didn't eat anything more. I started to get angry, but we've been dealing with this issue for awhile - conveniently enough, Mo's potty training regresses just after the CDR comes home and just after he departs. Coincidence? I think not. So I can't really "get up in his grill" about the accidents, because I have them, too... Although mine take the form of random emotional breakdowns and three extra pounds on the scale from all the ice cream I'm eating.

We finally made it through bathtime and the bedtime routine. Then we snuggled up on my bed to watch an episode of Thomas the Tank Engine for our Friday Family Date Night. Fortunately, both boys went to bed easily and fell asleep quickly.

So tonight I decided to relax and set up my Facebook profile. That website is fun fun fun! I immediately connected with a friend and fellow Coast Guard wife, then discovered that an old high school friend has some incriminating high school photos of me posted on his profile. Yuck yuck yuck. (But again, fun fun fun.)

The fireworks are exploding now in my town, but I'm uninterested. I could watch them on TV, I suppose, but I'd rather watch a Tivo-ed episode of "The Next Food Network Star." Or just watch last week's episode of "So You Think You Can Dance" (again).

Whichever I choose, it will likely be accompanied by some more of my favorite ice cream (Tillamook Creamery's "Udderly Chocolate" - white chocolate and milk chocolate swirled with chocolate chunks). It's been one of those days. Someone hide that bathroom scale!

Comments

[Mike]

I hear you totally on those days. Renee's had some of that this summer....guilty during the school year for being away from the kids, and then Aidan so clingy at times that she wants to give them away. Naps are variable during the summer...and the days are varied. no nap (like today) both crash by 7:15 p.m. Naps...then the bed ritual is longer. not sure which is better.

[Nutramigen Baby Formula]

I miss those days. Enjoy them while they last.