Yesterday

Warning:  This is long post.  Go make yourself a cup of tea first.

Yesterday was a horrible day.  One of those days that make you question why in the world you homeschool.

It all started about 6:15am.  I had to get up and get breakfast and such going quickly since I had an appt at 8:15.  Everyone was up and had eaten by 7:35am.  I assigned Child 1 to tidy the dishes and turn the dishwasher on, then I left the room to get the 2 little ones and myself dressed and ready.  About 7:45 I realize that there are no 'kitchen-y' sounds happening.  I briefly ponder the wisdom of stopping what I am doing to make sure Child 1 is on task, but decide against it because I cannot be late for my appt.  Dishes can wait until later, and we must leave by 8am.

At 7:50, I realize that the baby's shoes are missing.  I assign Child 2 to look under coffee tables, couches, etc.  In our home, shoes ALWAYS get kicked underneath something.  Child 2 vanishes for a bit, the returns to assure me that they have looked under everything, and the shoes are nowhere to be found.  Sigh...fine.  He'll go shoeless and we'll find them later. I order everyone to get their shoes on.

At 7:56, I tell the children to go ahead and get in the van.  Child 1 screams from the girls bathroom "Mommy! Come quickly!"  I think to myself "This is not going to end well."  Apparently, Josiah (20 months)  has climbed up on the stool and turned on the water.  Of course, this is the only sink in the house that does not drain properly, so the water has overflown and is quickly flooding the floor.  But, I have to leave at 8am!!!   I quickly throw a couple towels down, scoop up the baby, and herd everyone out to the van.

I make it to our appt in time.  However, the very nice lady tells me that she spoke with my husband last week and had rescheduled our appt to 2pm.  Remember last week?  When I was super sick?  If he informed me, I have no memory of the conversation.

So, we leave there and head downtown to see the 3D Butterfly Migration movie.  The parking garage closest to the theatre is full, so I drive in circles for a few minutes trying to find somewhere to park.  I find a garage, and manage to get everyone headed in the right direction.  We get to the theatre about 4 minutes before the movie starts, but hubby (who is meeting us) is nowhere to be seen.  I deliberate a moment - should I wait a bit for him? He'll never find us in a dark theatre.  I decide to go ahead and go in.  Just as we get our 3D glasses, he magically appears beside us. 

We are told by the field trip coordinator that we are supposed to be in one of two rows.  However, the movie is starting and everything is dark and I have no idea where our rows are.  Since the theatre is only about a third full, I just find an empty row and sit everyone down praying that we aren't going to get kicked out for not following orders.

About halfway into the movie, Child 3 says "I have to go potty."  Deep breath, it's okay.  I take child to the bathroom.  When I get back, Child 2 says "Where's the bathroom? I have to go!"  I send this child potty with their father.  They come back and get seated again, and Child 4 says "I have to go potty."  AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Mercifully, the movie is only 45 minutes long, and Child 4 is able to wait until it's over.  Afterward, I am chatting with a friend and our respective hubbies, telling them about my awful morning.  We go our separate ways, with us going to a nearby park to eat our picnic lunch.  As we are eating, my hubby turns to me and says "Why doesn't Joe have any shoes on?"  Apparently, he didn't hear my tirade about a stressful morning, even though he was physically present and nodding and laughing at the appropriate spots...Grrrrr!

Anyhooo...as we finish our food, the children are running hither and yon because 1) they have been mostly still for nearly 2 hours and 2) it's a park.  Hubby is getting frustrated that they are getting too far away, that Joe is walking in the damp grass with socks on, that one child prefers to play in a bush off to the left and can't actually be seen.  He finally decides we should go on home.  He offers to walk us to the van, but I can't quite remember where I parked.  I point one direction, we came from down there.  He says that's not right and we keep walking another direction.  I show him the ticket to the garage with the address on it.  He says okay and keeps walking.  I'm sure we are going the wrong way, but my protests seem to fall on deaf ears.  After a lovely Autumn Walk, we get back to roughly where we started and he figures out what garage we are in.  I didn't recognize it since we left it from the opposite side of the structure.  He gets us in the van and on our way.

We go home for about 40 minutes because we have to leave again for the 2 o'clock appt, remember?  I order everyone to start tidying up.  I know that if we clean up, Joe's shoes will appear.  Sure enough, I find them under the ottoman in the living room.  I tell Child 2 (who looked under everything back in paragraph 3) to their room, which lasts about 10 minutes, because it's time to go again.

Everyone back into the van, to the appt, which goes very well.  Back home, make dinner, house is mostly tidy from the "Find Those Shoes!!!" flurry of activity earlier.

The day ended pretty well, but with everyone very tired. 

Some days are like that.