Just what I wanted

Stan had a meeting tonight so in order to have family dinner all together it had to be early - no problem. 2 of the 3 kids had to visit the pediatrician this afternoon - hmmm, this complicates things just a little. Around 3 p.m. I suddenly realized I needed to leave immediately in order to go get gas, pick up the kids, and rush to the doctor's office. I decided to grab some extra books for Monkey & Peanut so they'd have everything they needed to finish their homework during the expected long wait. I checked the diaper bag to make sure there was something to entertain Puddin' and rushed out the door, with a shocked and unhappy toddler. (Transition is KEY these days and she didn't get what she needed.)

We got to the doctor office on time, having found parking much easier than usual. We were called back just about on schedule but as expected we sat in the small exam room for quite some time. The medical tasks that needed to be done were really quick and easy but that didn't get us seen any faster. By the time we left the office - with one kid pronounced free of ear infections or clogged tubes and the toddler wincing from her swine flu shot - it was already time to get dinner on the table. I made a quick call to the fabulous Chinese restaurant near our house and made a blind stab at the menu in my memory. We got home, jumped out of the van and as soon as we entered the house Monkey and Peanut set the table while I pulled dinner out of the bag and Stan tried to convince Puddin' that food was good enough reason to stop crying.

Whew! We were all sitting down to dinner, starting to check in regarding each other's days when we had two spills in quick succession from the younger two kids. Monkey put it nicely when she said "it's not a crisis, just not what you wanted." So very true. Most of us weren't done yet when Stan jumped up to leave. With quick kisses and goodbyes the chaos ramped up a little more. As soon as Stan was out the door, each child found her own way to flip out. Peanut started arguing and talking back. That girl has enough sass in her for all three kids and I don't have the patience for any of it. I sent her to her room with the mandate to finish homework (our long doctor office wait wasn't quite long enough) and to calm down. Then I sent Monkey off to her work space in the basement to finish her own work. She hadn't been down there long when I started to hear anxious calls and cries from downstairs. I peeked in long enough to make sure she wasn't hurt and then remind her that she needs to actually come get me rather than scream across the house. Instead, she simply broke into hysterics. Meanwhile, Puddin' was feeling pain from her shot, anxious because of the chaos in the house, and had been robbed of transition yet again this afternoon. I sat on the floor and built towers for her to knock down and she started to come out of her funk. Monkey finally got up enough nerve to come upstairs and tell me that she found a bug on her back pack. She was afraid to walk by it so she couldn't come upstairs to talk to me. She didn't want to touch her back pack even after it had hopped away just in case. She couldn't possibly do her homework and now she was stuck! "Your foot alone is ten times bigger than the bug." "The bug is worried about the giant that's coming to attack it." "I don't know of a single bug in our neighborhood that could do you any real harm." Each time I'd have her almost calm she'd work herself into a frenzy again. After about 5 minutes of this she finally felt brave enough to face the bug - this time with shoes on. During all this, Peanut finished her homework but wouldn't admit it so she didn't have to come talk to me. I finally got her out of her room and told her that the original thing she was fighting me about was only annoying but talking back - that makes me mad. Talking back to any of your parents is never an acceptable option. We agreed on a consequence of written apology, complete with full sentences, correct capitalization and punctuation.

All three kids were finally back in control and emotionally stable. We were in the home stretch now - I just had to get them clean, ready for bed and down for the night. After showers, Peanut wanted rollers in her hair and Monkey needed some help reviewing for two tests. Puddin', of course, just wanted to be where the action was. So there we were, all four of us crowded into a tiny bathroom barely big enough for two - while I dried and rolled Peanut's hair, ran multiplication facts and weather instruments with Monkey, and babbled with Puddin'. As we were finishing all this (just barely in time for the assigned bed time) it occurred to me that this is the kind of moment that kids remember. It was hectic and vibrant, but in the end it was good. There we were, each child getting a need met and able to meet someone else's need too. Each of us was actively engaged in life together. I never would have guessed it at the start of this afternoon but this evening proved to be one of my prouder moments as a mom.