A Day

When the really bad days hit you like a swift kick to the yoga pants you've worn for days, every person has a laundry list of things they do to either survive the day or chase it out the door. Thanks to a little blog called Awesomely Awake and the little project there that I joined called The Abundant Mama Project, I have tried really hard to settle in at the end of the day and assess the situation. I haven't been as on top of being a part of the project recently as I would like, but the message of trying to acknowledge your own abundant life sticks with me daily. Sometimes things get so hairy that it can be good comic relief to really hash it out. Sometimes you just eat a lot of chocolate and go on your merry way into the next new day. Today I choose to do both. This is not a woe is me post. Do not feel sorry for me. Many mothers all over the planet gripped the chair and held their breath over far harder things today. It's just a bad day. Honestly, if my bad day can you make you feel better about your next bad day my job is done. 

Sleep has been a sneaky bastard for me of late. Spring has sprung which means my life as a pretend single mom is in full effect. I would seriously rather stay up all night long and not get a single minute of sleep than wake up every thirty minutes to an hour like I did last night. Not to mention I am 99% sure there will be no mother of the year awards coming my way anytime soon. Anyway, here's the rundown. The good, the bad, and the grateful...in no particular order.

Lila

THE BAD

I convinced myself yesterday that she had a bladder infection based on the fact that she went to the potty eighty six times but only peed eight of those times. That and she spent the whole day telling me her back hurt. I say my back hurts constantly. Because she has a flair for the dramatic, I thought she was either trying to be like me or she was mocking me. I learned at around 4 am that neither were the case. This is when I put her in the bed with us and she mumbled something about the poop being stuck. But, in the haze of interrupted, terrible sleep it slipped my mind until later in the morning when she began pacing the entire house screaming with random, unsuccessful jaunts to the toilet. Good job mommy. Instead of asking enough questions to get the right answer I made an assumption that led to world war three in her tiny little belly. The panic in her face coupled with Evie's need to practically be under her every time she ran to the bathroom really made for a rough morning.  

THE GOOD

Neighbor friend Sonja saved the day. Seth had already left to go out of town when the full blown hysterics happened. When I mentioned to Lila we needed to get in the car to go get medicine I'm pretty sure she wanted to slap the bejesus out of me. One call to Sonja and she brings an arsenal of pineapples, pears, plums, prune juice, a laxative, and a suppository. Thirty minutes later (I'll spare you the gory details) Lila is free and clear and fiercely sure she hates prune juice. 

THE GRATEFUL

I have a child who has spent 99.9% of her four years on this Earth in perfect health. Thank you sweet baby Jesus that her biggest health concerns thus far have been a few stitches to the forehead, pollen, and getting really backed up before her mother realized it. We are so very lucky.

Lunch

THE BAD

There are these shelves in my kitchen in an area that I don't walk around in much. Every once in a while I walk over there to look for a passy sweep up and smack my head on a shelf. This happened and I may or may not have let out a gigantic bad word...in front of Evie. Major lack of sleep plus a head injury leads to bad words and migraines in my world.

THE GOOD

While I may not be mommy of the year today, I was most certainly mommy on the spot. I started saying, "DUCK! Evie I saw a duck! Did you see it?". And then I started quacking and before I knew it she forgot about the passy (and hopefully that word that rhymes with duck) and was doubled over laughing. You do what you have to do.

THE GRATEFUL

No migraine!!!

After Nap Adventure

THE BAD

Dekalb county BLOWS. No really. Worst. county. ever. We are on this support Tucker (the "town" we live in) kick because of a whole bunch of political goings on that are just too tedious to mention here. So, I liked the Tucker Farmer's Market and the Tucker Patch on Facebook. Both mentioned today that there was an Earth Day event at Tucker Rec from three to five. I got the girls all excited to go and was pretty pumped myself. We show up and after many dirty looks and three attempts at finding it (the place is tiny mind you) it became clear that no such thing was happening. So irritating, but so typical. 

THE GOOD

I have a two and a four year old (almost). The minute I said there was no Earth Day event but there was a playground all was well with the world. 

THE GRATEFUL

My kids live in a neighborhood where amazing, safe events like this happen all the time...they are just run by the neighborhood and not the county when they actually happen. 

Dinner

THE BAD

1) We order meals from A Dinner A'fare. I have mentioned this before. It makes my life SO much easier. Except for when it doesn't. Sometimes there will be a meal that is so spicy Evie will spit it across the table if I haven't tasted it first and had a chance to stop her from eating it. This happened right as I finally sat down to eat.

2) I made sweet potato fries as the side for the girls knowing they might not eat much of the entree. This is something I do every night with some sort of side because it can be so hard to get Lila to eat. Seth apparently broiled something this weekend and I didn't realize it. My whole house now smells like burnt sweet potatoes. 

3) Because of numbers one and two, my children have no dinner and I have just sat down to eat mine. 

4) Lila spills her water on my dinner before I have even touched it and Evie is practically licking the water off the table because her mouth is on fire and I CAN'T FIND A SIPPY CUP! I promise you that one day I will find the black hole that eats toy parts, sippy cups, pacifiers, and socks. I know it's in Evie's room somewhere. I just can't seem to find the magic button.

THE GOOD

I was able to overcome the mommy guilt and just give them strawberries, a slice of bread, and half a yogurt for dinner. Ironically, they have never been so happy about a dinner in their entire lives. You know, once Evie regained sensation in her mouth and Lila changed her wet clothes.

THE GRATEFUL

When the food isn't suitable or gets burned I have a back up. I have a back up for my back up. My children are never truly hungry. Watch A Place at the Table if you can. It's very eye opening. Every meal I make, or pretend to make thanks to the luxury of A Dinner A'fare, I think about how I have never experienced hunger and what a blessing that is. 

So, at the end of this mess of a day both girls went to sleep without a peep. I made myself that lovely little single serving of a brownie pictured above and plopped down to share my day with you. Thanks for stopping by. 

PS - The photo op challenge will continue weekly until no one sends me a picture. That or it will just be filled with pictures of me!