Today was a rough morning. Because of my attitude, mostly. But even as I was annoyed, frustrated, and just plain mad...I could still see that a lot of amusing things were happening.
I set the alarm for 6:00 a.m. so I could go shovel the snow (in place of my usual exercises) and I got up at 6:20 and did just that. The morning started well enough. The kids got up, ate breakfast, and then went to their usual post under all the couch cushions to hang out until it's time to go.
I told Tad I'd take the kids today and he was in the kitchen getting ready and frustrated because he hadn't packed himself a lunch the night before and Lucy had taken a long time to wake up, so he was basically leaving at the same time he would if he did take the kids, yet he wasn't taking them. That is annoying. I always dislike it on the days that I actually can leave scott free without any child duties and I end up leaving with them anyway. It takes away from the pleasure of leaving on your own.
Then he headed out the back door and saw that the two bags of oranges that I had ready to bring for our week of morning snack had fallen on the floor. "What's this?"
"Oh, it's oranges for school."
"I can bring them" Tad offered, picking them up. "This bag is about to break." He started to stuff them in another bag.
"Forget it." I said. "I'll bring them."
I have this thing about too many bags. It's totally psychotic, I know, but I just really get irked when too many bags make their way out of the house. I'm thinking...well now that's just extra bags to put away. I'm laughing as I type this. It's really ridiculous. But it really bothers me. But hey, that's why I'm in therapy, to figure these kinds of things out. Bag problems. Baggage. Ha!
Anyway.
So I say, "I'll bring them."
And Tad says, "Why? Do you think I'm incapable of carrying oranges?"
I could start arguing here.. But I don't. In fact I'm realizing how these arguments happen. Snowballing commentary.
Speaking of snowballing... So Tad leaves and the kids take about twenty five minutes to get their snow stuff on. Coen puts his boots on. Realizes. Takes his boots off. Puts his snow pants on. Starts putting a boot on. Remembers something. Takes it off, and goes upstairs to get a book to bring to school. Back to the boots. And it goes on like that. With both of them. I am taking deep breaths, trying not to have a coronary about how long its taking to dress for the outdoors. And the snow.
Once we all get outside and the children make a huge show of getting "stuck" in the snow, we finally get in the car. I've forgotten something. I go back in and get it. Then Coen announces he's forgotten something. I go back in and get it. When I get back to the car, Lucy (who was buckled in and sitting is now unbuckled and standing) and has hoisted an object in the air. "Look what I found!" It's a McDonald's toy that makes noise. I was hoping that was gone forever.
"Did you find it on the ground?" Lucy asks.
"No..." I say.
"YES YOU DID!" Lucy says (loud enough to merit all capitals)
"Okay. Yeah. I found it on the ground."
"Did you think it was a piece of ice?" Lucy asks.
oh boy, I'm thinking...what's the right answer... "No..."
"Yes you DID!"
"Okay, yes, I thought it was a piece of ice."
"WHY did you think it was a piece of ice?"
Honestly. You see how ridiculous this conversation is? I steer it elsewhere. Coen and Lucy start singing along to the song this toy is making. It is a song that Tad made up when we got the kids happy meals during a three-hour layover at the Denver Airport a few years ago when I was trying to get everyone to stop saying inappropriate words. All the way to school, Lucy presses the button over and over and the kids are singing "Inappropriate Denver Airport. Inappropriate Denver Airport. Inappropriate Denver Airport..."
Finally, we are at school. I drop them off grumpily after we clomp up the hill, through the snow, taking another twenty five minutes to traverse a couple hundred yards. Tad peeks out of his classroom and begins to question my drop off order and our presence in the middle of the parking lot. We have another argumentative exchange.
After I drop them all off (having gotten it together enough to at least be sweet with Lucy when I leave her), I stop at Tad's classroom and say a proper goodbye. We both apologize for our grumpiness. I stop at Coen's classroom. He is happily surprised to see me there and we have a nice, long hug. I tell him I'm sorry I was grumpy and that I'll see him after school.
The morning was no different from other mornings in terms of time taken and things going right or going wrong. It was a bad morning because I was in a bad mood. Here's to trying again tomorrow.
Oh. Wait.
Tomorrow's Saturday!
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