The Great Day!

I was having a great day! I really was. The kids were in a good mood. We had done some fun sponge painting and gluing shapes to make cards. Bell's sister had her tonsils out and we wanted to make her feel better. The kids were into the card making and were having a blast. I was so pleased with the cards, they were precious and I knew A would just love them!
The kids had destroyed the playroom in what seemed like seconds. They weren't being bad, they were just playing so, I just let them play. Getting them to clean up is usually a challenge. They loose focus and start playing with the toys again. But today, they were on task and cleaned everything up. They were so happy with themselves. They new exactly where everything went and if someone didn't, another one would show them. It was soo great! I was having a great day!

I decided to reward the kids with some quality Tent Time.If you don't have a tent, I highly recommend it.  For Christmas Ruby got this little pop up tent. I love it because the kids just go crazy for it! I make sure I keep it as a treat toy and not an everyday toy, so it won't loose it's hypnotic quality.  They run in and out of the tent. They love how it makes their hair stand up from the static. They push on it and knock it over and put it back up again. This tent can take a beating. The best part is if their behavior gets out of control, all I have to do is say I'm going to  take it down and the kids are instant angels.

So, some tent time was in order for the kids hard work on the cards. Plus, it was Friday and I was feeling generous.  All was wonderful in the land of children, but then... BOOM! The disaster bomb exploded and I had three children with three different problems at once.

It started with K, who was running like a spastic monkey in and out of the tent. He forgot that he left his socks on his feet when he took off his shoes. SMACK! Face to the hardwood floor. The wind up cry began as pushed air and quickly escalated to siren mode. No big deal. I'm a pro. I have handled bumps and bruises many many times. I began trying to get him to calm down enough to figure out whether this fall required ice or just some hugs and kisses. K requested ice himself and I was headed to get it for him when... Ruby came running to me to tell me, "Potty, Potty! I go potty." At first I was pleased she was remembering to tell me she needed to go, but then I saw her pants were wet. UGH!

So,K is still crying Ruby is standing legs spread yelling at me to help her and Bells is still in the tent which evidently was the scene of the accident. I rush to get Bells out of the tent and step in a second puddle of pee on the way. I ignore my own pee foot and grab Bells, who has luckily avoided the first pee puddle. Bells begins her cat fight sounding scream because I am removing her from the tent. I put Bells on the couch telling her not to move because there is pee pee on the floor. She calms down and sits for me. "Thank you Bells!" K is still at my leg begging for ice and Ruby is still walking around legs apart because she is covered in urine.

" K, you are fine. I will get you ice in just a minute. Ruby had an accident and I need to help her get on the potty first. Then, I promise, I will get you ice." K agrees still crying a bit. "Thank you K!" Okay, two kids were under control, so I dealt with Ruby so she didn't have to sit in her pee pants anymore. I put her on the potty to see if there was anything more for her to do that wasn't already on the floor. "Ruby, sit here and go potty, I am going to help K get ice for his boo boo. DON"T MOVE!"

I walked to the kitchen to grab K's ice pack. I handed to him just in time to hear Ruby scream, "BELLS BITING ME!!!!" I walk around the corner, to see bells leaving the bathroom. I walk into the bathroom where Ruby is still on the potty. She wasn't crying anymore, but she was still claiming Bells bit her. "Where?"  Ruby responded, "On the leg! It hurt!" Sure enough, there was a nice round circle of teeth marks on her leg. "Why did she bite you?"Sometimes Ruby provokes things, but I couldn't figure out how she could have done that from the toilet. "On the leg!" "No, I know she bit you on the leg, why?" "On the leg!Right here mommy," Ruby said with a bit of disgust. "Never-mind. Bells! Get in here." Bells answered in her perky voice," Okay! I comin!"

Ruby was still sitting on the toilet, Bells is at the bathroom door, I'm sitting on the step stool in front of Ruby and K is peeking around the corner. "Did you bite Ruby?" "Yeah!",Bells says with a smile. "Bells, are we supposed to bite?" "Yeah!", she says with the same smile. "Noooooo ma'am. We do not bite! That is ugly." Bells finally responds with a worried face,"yeah." YES! I'm making progress, "What do you say?" Bells quickly returns to her smiley face and says," Thank you!" UGH. It's sooo frustrating talking to two year olds sometimes. " No, not thank you. You say sorry when you hurt someone." "Sorry," she responded still smiling. " You need to go sit in time out." "Okay!" Bells answers and almost skips off to time out.

Finally, I get to clean up Ruby, my own pee foot, the puddles on the floor, and the tent ( which wiped up VERY easily, I must say. I love that tent!). I had broken a sweat and was as exhausted as I would be if I had run a marathon. I was having the most amazing day, and then in less than 10 minutes, I felt as if I had just been through world war three. I tried hard to shake it off and get back to happy. I knew that if I was in a bad mood, the kids would feed off of me ( see post "Snappy Attack) SO, I put on some party music and we danced. Instead of feeling defeated, I decide to celebrate my accomplishment of handling everything like a pro. " Good job! Jessica! Now get your groove on!"

It seems silly to pat myself on the back like that, but there is no one else here to do it. I don't have a boss who is watching me handle these high stress situations. I certainly won't get a promotion. I won't get a pay raise either. I have to learn to reward myself and be proud of myself. That's hard for me. I am a person who needs a lot of "attaboys!" I know I am high maintenance in that way. That's one thing I wasn't prepared for as a mom and a daycare provider. Sometimes, it is a thankless job and I have to just thank myself. I also had to learn to laugh at these things. At the time I am in the middle of them, I feel tight chested and stressed, but I try to remember to breathe and laugh. These are the moments I need to remember and cherish. They will be gone soo soon.

I saw this video on a blog I follow called Perfecting Imperfection. I happened to see it on the day that all of the drama above happened. It really puts things in perspective. Get a tissue and Enjoy!






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