Abnormal

Yesterday was not fun. Pat went to help someone pour the foundation from 6:30Am-1pm, and I had a houseful of grouchy kids. Driven mostly by Stephen (11 almost), who was ticked off 'cause Pat had left him here instead of taking him to help with the job (the future homeowner said it would have been too hard for Stephen, and Pat left him here). Add to that equation t-ball closing ceremonies which Nathan (7) did not want to attend, and a 15 minute tantrum from Thomas (5) because he was woken up, and the morning did not start out well. We did make it to the closing ceremonies, about 15 minutes late, (just late enough that Nate would NOT join his team already on the field). So I spent the next 30 minutes trying to keep 3 kids from screaming and hitting each other (Sam, Bekah and Thomas), and convincing myself it was important to return those t-ball pants to the coach. (Nathan did get a cool USSSA medal out of the whole thing, though!) When we left, I decided we would go see Pat at the worksite and see if he had eaten and/or had something to drink. He was happy to see us, but was well stocked, so we headed on our way. My kids started begging for Sonic, or some other "treat". Unbeknownst to them, I had been planning a rare treat of doughnuts from our local mom and pop doughnut shop, Daylight Donuts. After grabbing some cash from the ATM (they only take cash), I drove into the parking lot just in time to see the SOLD OUT sign be placed in the window. At that point, I was set on doughnuts enough that I volunteered to take my 6 cranky kids to the closest grocery store to pick out a doughnut. Things actually went okay in there until we had to wait for 15 minutes in the checkout line. We made it to the car and I got Sam and Bekah buckled in. Happy to be on our way home, I went to the driver's side door and pulled it open to the sounds of Sam crying, really crying, a hurt cry. When I asked what happpened, Stephen hung his head, and admitted he had hit Sam on the head, hard. (Sam is hitting people periodically, and thinks it's funny--he had hit Stephen, and Stephen reacted by hitting him back. Never mind that there is a 10 year difference there!) I came home, grouchier now than before, and resigned myself to just a little while longer before Pat got home. Two more issues with siblings came up with Stephen before he admitted he was really upset about Pat leaving him home that morning, and made me really hopeful that puberty is a ways off for this kid. (I can't deal with the emotional rollercoaster!) Pat finally made it home about 1 and I headed out to do my major, bi-weekly grocery shopping. Not necessarily a bad trip, (I stayed in budget!), but with no extra to play with, it was a very uneventful trip (no surprise purchases to spice things up a bit). Home to unload some, then give up, tired, and sit in the chair while my family finished the job of putting groceries away. From there, the kids went a little wild...not listening well, etc...until I was way frustrated. My dear friend Susan Ludwig called about bedtime and just laughed that it was so crazy. Finally, a little peace at the end of the day, 3 loads of laundry to fold, a visit with a dear friend on the phone, and a nudge to remember that this isn't the norm here, and everyone has a bad day now and then. What a good way to end a hectic, harried, abnormal day! Thanks Susan!