In which chaos ensues...

First - I love my kids dearly and cherish the time I am privileged to be with them every day since I don't work outside the home. This post is in no way meant to convey anger, disrespect or make it seem as though I don't appreciate them. I'm just venting.

I've had one of "THOSE" afternoons/evenings.

The earlier part of the day was normal - went to the gym, came home and the kids played while I showered, then it was lunch and naps...

After naps it all began to slide downhill. We went to the Commissary to order Eli's birthday cake (of which he can't eat because he's still off gluten and dairy - but he's back on eggs and soy with no reaction so I'm dreading what the culprit might be....that's a different post though) for his party on Saturday. I also bought a gluten free chocolate cake mix while we were there. Then we got Jacob's hair cut at the Barber shop on base and Eli started collapsing as we were leaving.

Eli got a lollipop because Jacob got a hair cut - because it's just not fair for Jacob to get one for being a good boy during the haircut and Eli to not get one. I figure one lollipop every 4-5 weeks won't hurt anyone! When his lollipop was down to a little nub I took it away and OH.MY.GOODNESS he totally went bonkers. SCREAMING. And I don't mean just a little crying. If he hadn't been strapped in his carseat he would have been on the ground flailing about and hitting at things (this anger issue is also a whole post in itself) screaming the whole time.

I let him carry on for a bit - because, really, what can he do while he's strapped in the carseat? We got home and to distract him I sent them out in the back yard to play. AAAAHHHH Bliss!

30 minutes outside is the limit w/o sunscreen right now since we've just started spending time in the sun. So I had 30 minutes of peace (watching out the window while checking my email!) and they came in and I put on a movie because that helps them sit still and cool down (we don't have a/c in our house). This was super good timing on my part because just as the movie started I got a phone call from a Dr. that I had been expecting for 2 days. Nothing serious - just some things I wanted to discuss about my pre-natal care. I spent 45 minutes on the phone with this dr. and apparently that was about 10 minutes too long for Eli.... because he started SCREAMING again. Sheesh.

While I was on the phone the sales guy from the builder/sales office (we live in a new house and subdivision and they are still building/selling new houses on our street) comes to my door and wants to show some potential buyers our model (theirs isn't quite finished and they can't quite grasp the concept of what the kitchen will look like when it's completed). This showing thing has been previously arranged on a you-call-me-when-you-need-to-show basis (because we get a $40 restaurant gift card everytime we let them take a peek!!!) and he tried to call but because I was on this important call I didn't answer the other line - and my garage happened to be open so he knew I was home! Needless to say, I let them in for the free restaurant gift card WHILE I WAS STILL ON THE PHONE!! I'm tacky, I know. Thankfully, they stayed less than 5 minutes! Whew.

Oh yeah, and Michael called 3 times while I was on the phone!

Finally get off the phone, and get Eli calmed down and think about getting dinner started.... thank goodness for menu plans and thawed meat! I always let the kids help me in the kitchen (when it's not something that has potential to splatter hot grease on them, etc.) and Eli was standing at his normal post (a chair pulled up to the counter) and he was goofing off so I told him if he wasn't still and careful I would 'lock' (just a gate) him in the other room..... He kept it up and eventually fell out of the chair onto the kitchen floor and I just about blew a gasket. Banished him to the other room and the SCREAMING commenced again. He screamed while I was browning the meat, heating the taco shells, cutting the veggies and seasoning the meat and was still screaming when Michael walked in the door from work.

Welcome home honey! I hate when he comes home to a screaming/fussy child, but sometimes there's just nothing I can do to calm him down - regardless of the distractions or other tactics I use. I told Michael that it had been about 2 hours of utter chaos and I felt very frazzled and like my head wasn't on straight and I couldn't think. I hate feeling like that, glad it doesn't happen very often.

The screaming fits continued thru dinner. We even went and walked around the mall for a little while afterward to just keep us from going insane until bedtime. Side note - don't think for a second we didn't try every other trick in the book first to get him into a better mood..... The mall didn't really work either, so we came home and pretty quickly got him into bed. I think he was just really tired because he never made a sound after Michael put him in bed and he usually kicks the wall, sings, talks to himself, etc. just his way of winding down.

Tomorrow is a new day. "22 -The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By His mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. 23 - Great is His Faithfulness; His mercies afresh each day." Lamentations 3:22-23