~Saturday ups and downs~

It has been a CRAZY day around here.  I'm exhausted, frustrated and ready for 7:30 to roll around.  Who am I kidding????  As soon as 7 hits, those kids are goin to bed!  OK.... when the movie is over, which will probably be 7:30.  If it's later though.....I'm stopping the movie. 

I woke up with great plans and expectations for my day.  THAT was my first problem. 
Big D was gone for the day, playing farmer, and then tailgating before going to the big ISU vs Texas game.  He has some great friends that let him play farmer at their house and then give him a ticket to the game.  He doesn't get a ticket for playing farmer. ( That would be silly)   He just got invited this time because someone else couldn't go.

Since I was playing single mom for the day, I decided to go get some supplies I needed for projects I am working on.  It was a beautiful morning and I just knew that going to five stores with four kids....NO, my four ANGELS,  was going to be no problem.  I even took my camera with me to snap cutsie little pics of my perfect children posing with our fabulous finds.  Ha! 
First store was great.  Dollar Store!  I let each kids pick something to take home.  A couple of them were sweet enough to bring their own money.  The other one was too smart for that idea.  My baby just wanted gum, which I already had.  GREAT!!

Second store was Michaels.  I don't know what happened between 9:30 and 10 but all of a sudden the stores were completely packed, AND, the store had like 50 rolling ladders in every other aisle that my cart could not get around.  So then, frustrated mommy and four kids were trying to gracefully back out of those aisles.  We did leave with some fun finds though, so I left still excited for the day to continue.

Third store: Pier One.  Found a couple of awesome items that will work great in a space I am redoing, the kids didn't touch a single item AND I even got complimented from another shopper on how well behaved my children were and how proud I should be of them. 

Fourth store:  TJ Max.  Totally packed again, with internationals that decided to talk in the middle of the aisles and therefore I couldn't get through with my cart.  (I'm thinking right now that I am going to invent flying carts.... for people with children only..... better yet...flying packs for mothers with small children only AND "move to the front of the line for free" passes.  Yes, I am brilliant!)  I was going to get E a coffee mug because apparently 8, almost 9 year olds need them, and an oven mitt, because I only have one and I can't leave a store without buying something.  For myself.   I was going to buy those things, until....(have you noticed I like to ..... A LOT!  I do.  It's a disease....)  UNTIL.... I saw the line was 20 shoppers deep.  I needed one of those "move to the front of the line for free" passes.  We laid our two items in a random pile that looked like 40 other people had done the same, and left.  Please don't judge me right now.  Remember there were lots of internationals, that didn't speak english and they were blocking the aisles, AND I had four kids with me. I left with nothing.  No oven mitt.  No coffee mug for my eight year old.  I felt defeated and weak.  But I had one more place on my list.

Am I up to five?  Yep.  Fifth store:  Hancock fabrics.   Pretty fabrics make me happy.  The possibilities are endless as are the patterns.  I'm smiling right now.  :) see.  I found fabric that I was looking for and although I was a little bummed by the price per yard, buying the things already made was going to be 3 times more expensive, so I decided to spend the most I have ever spent before, per yard, and enjoy my final victory.  WELL, when I went to have the fabric cut, I was told it was half off!  My headache suddenly went away.  I was able to stand up straight again, instead of hunched over.  SCORE!!!  And I walked to the check out lane with my head held high.  While the kids and I waited in line of the slow cashier that I seem to get wherever I go (It doesn't really bother me, I just notice that I always get them) I asked the kids if they would like McDonalds for lunch.  I was obviously feeling my day was going exceedingly well.  So well, in fact, that I offered to eat INSIDE at McDonalds.  If you know me, I do not eat inside a restaurant with four kids unless 1: the food is ordered from and brought to our table  2: It is kid friendly but there aren't an over abundance of kids, and 3: I have another adult to help me.  I thought I was going to get mother of the year, OK... day, award and my children were going to cheer and tell everyone how blessed they were to have me for their mom.  Instead, Little D declares he does not want McDonalds, he wants Taco Johns.  In which everyone starts arguing about where we should eat.  OF COURSE everyone has to yell because you can't be heard over the other person because they are yelling too.  Did I mention that I was in the line with the slow cashier?  I was beginning to be bothered by her at this point.  Then Little D asks if he can get a happy meal at the McDonalds but not eat any of it because he only wanted the toy.  I honestly thought about it, but decided if he didn't eat I would be dealing with that issue the rest of the day. 

We finally got out of there, decided to do drive through McDonalds and PB and J for Little D at home.  Great plan!  Until, the line at McDonalds was 20 cars deep.  I decided to run inside, as it looked slow there, and grab everything to go.  I placed my order and waited.  While I waited Mr. Other Customer decided that there must not be a personal bubble space that needs to be respected.  Again, if you know me, I am very bothered by ANYONE being in my personal bubble space.  The space is different for different levels of people.  I won't go into that now as I have already written a book, but there is.  Anyway, this gentleman decides to stand nearly shoulder to shoulder with me.  No one else was up there waiting, there was plenty of other places to stand and even lean on things.  He was on one side while his little boy was on the other side of me.  We looked like a family.  I'm sure we made a lovely family, but they were not MY family.  It was very awkward to say the least.

That is the story of my 9-12.  Yes... that was only 3 hours.  It felt like it was half of a year.  A season at least.  I did not want to craft or work on anything when I got home.  OH, and my fries were stale and cold.  Such a bummer for someone who eats McDonalds only a few times a year. 

Instead, I helped E do a little crafting.  I just gently showed her that there is no wrong way to do it.  It was completely up to her and that however she chose to do HER project, it would be perfect.  I don't usually do that either.  I'm a control freak.  Not today though.  I'm tired, weak and wishing I had picked up Hy-Vee chinese for supper.  Hy-Vee chinese makes everything better.

I will do a quick and to the point post tomorrow about E's fabulous accessory that she made.  She is very excited and can't wait to start wearing it.  She's my kind of gal!  Next Saturday, as Big D will be gone again, I will stay home.  In my pajamas.  A-l-l,  D-a-y,  L-o-n-g.  Happy Weekend!!

Oh, and as you can see, there were no pictures taken.  Pushing a cart with one child sitting in it while three are trying to ride on the sides, and taking pictures is not possible.  Especially when one child gets off of one side and the cart tips over because it is suddenly off balance.  Lesson learned and noted.