Some days are just crazy...

Here's how yesterday went for me (after the regular packing of lunches, brushing of hair, reading of scriptures, finding of homework, etc.):

TALENT SHOW: After I got the kids off to school and I sat down for a phone call with April, Ashton called me to tell me that the 4th grade talent show was RIGHT NOW and he needed the keyboard to play his song (why is there so seldom advance notice of these things?).  So I pushed back my Power of Moms call with April (we've got so many things going right now - we so needed a call but oh well), loaded up the twins, and took the keyboard to him - and it turned out to be really nice to be able to be there to watch the talent show.  He won for all of 4th grade!  He's going on to the school wide talent show on Monday (but as always, the time and date of things is a bit fuzzy so I hope I'll be able to be there!).  

PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE:  Since I was already there and had been meaning to talk to the principal about these ongoing lack of communication issues (I'm the PTA parent communication chair), I headed into talk to Mr Porter for a while.  I sort of laid down the law with him that this last-minute emergency calling from my kids about random things I should have been informed of in advance and all the other big parent communication issues must stop (like when I showed up last Wednesday night for Isaac's violin concert only to find out that he'd just missed the concert - they changed the time w/o sending home a new note and lots of parents were confused).  Oliver and Silas crawled under the chairs and did handstands on the chairs in Mr. Porter's office while we talked.  Some not-so-great moments!  Who knows if it will make a difference, but I felt like I really had to say something.

GROCERY STORE: Then we ran to the grocery store to get the donut holes Isaac begged me to bring to his class since they were having a party for everyone with summer birthdays at 10:45. It turned out that they had two classes combined for the birthday celebration and I didn't really have enough donut holes for everyone but there were lots of other snacks and it worked out great.  I got hugs from a bunch of kids and got to see a couple kids' talents as they practiced for the 3rd grade talent show (some crazy dancing and one kid who could tuck in his ears then pop them back out - pretty neat trick).

MEALS WITH MOMS:  Then I hurried to Wendy's and got 5 burgers so I could do "Meals with Moms" (moms were invited to join their kids for lunch any time this week - being Friday, I figured I'd better do it!)  and surprise the kids by bringing them lunch and sitting with them and having the twins delight at eating at school too.  The kids were really excited about the burgers and having me hang out with them and their friends for lunch and the twins happily snarfed down several chocolate milks and some fruit pie things that the big kids' friends kept giving them until they said their tummies hurt.  I got some good photos of the kids with their friends in the cafeteria and was there to help Isaac when he got kicked while playing soccer at lunch recess.  I love really knowing so many of my kids' friends.

GROCERY STORE AGAIN:  Then there was no point going home before I'd need to pick up the carpool 45 minutes later so I did my grocery shopping.  I searched and searched to find sour skittles for Eliza's best friend Olivia since I told her I'd get her any candy she wanted for the movie night Liza gave her for her birthday that we were going to celebrate that night.  I never found them - crossed my fingers she'd be OK with regular skittles.  The twins insisted on weighing everything they could find on the scales in the produce section and were delighted when a nice lady asked them to please weigh some of her produce for her.  I love it when people take the time to be extra nice to little kids!

SWIM PARTY:  Then I picked up the carpool, ran the kids home, put together treats for their little end-of-the-school-year pool party with their friends, answered a few emails, ran down to the pool, and hosted the party (luckily only 8 kids showed up and there were several parents there so it worked out just right). Somehow in the midst of the craziness of the pool party, Ashton decided to take off with a friend without telling me and I just had to cross my fingers that he was safe somewhere since it wouldn't work out well to leave all the rest of the kids to go find him. That was pretty frustrating.  He had to miss the movie tonight (sadly, since it was October Sky - all about kids building rockets and winning the national science fair - I really got the movie with him in mind.  Oh well.  But it's a great movie with so many good lessons....).  I don't know what got into him.  Plus Isaac wasn't being the best host to his friends at the pool party - wouldn't play what they wanted to play and was sort of being a spoil sport about everything. I found myself threatening him with the ludicrous threat - "If you don't get back in that pool and play with your friends who are begging you to play, you're never having another party again!"  

WORKOUT:  Then I decided I really needed to squeeze in a workout (there's a workout room right there by the pool) before heading home for dinner and the special movie night for Olivia - had 40 minutes, should work.The kids fought over which show to watch while I tried to get a decent workout in - and I kept getting distracted by worries about the new carpet in the workout room that got installed yesterday  - I picked it out but it didn't look as good as I thought it should plus there seemed to be some shoddy installation issues so my mind kept going back to worries about that - guilt that maybe I picked the wrong carpet, worry about how to get the installers to fix some problems when I have too much on my plate.  Why do I get involved with these things???

GETTING HOME:  Then when we got ready to go home, sweet Liza took it upon herself to gather up all the towels and pool toys plus the backpack with sunscreen and swim gear and try to carry it all up to the house herself to be a good little helper (she's really working on the Self Starter award this week - she decided to clean the twins' nasty toilet yesterday all of her own accord - what a girl!).  Unfortunately, though, the car keys were in the backpack so by the time I finished loading stuff and people, I found that the backpack was way up the street on Eliza's back.  And it was 105 degrees and I was tired and the kids were beyond cranky from staying up late to be with Jonah's kids last night (they came through on their way to CA - the 5 of them plus Aja's sister and her daughter and their family chicken that is travelling with them - such a fun group!).  

MOVIE PARTY:  But we got the keys and made it home in time to shovel in some dinner and host another mini party/movie night for Eliza's Olivia (plus two other little girls - and Olivia thought the regular Skittles were just great) and the movie was nice (although the twins kept doing flips and somersaults and bugging everyone through much of it).  

YEAH FOR ME!  I stayed calm and mostly pretty kind through everything.  I've seriously come a long way with patience since becoming a mom!  I deserve a serious pat on the back, I think.  Jared wasn't even around to help - he's up in Idaho helping his mom who's struggling with some serious health issues and we'll join him there in a few days.  

Oh what a life!  There were lots of beautiful moments mixed in with the crazy ones today.  And some day I'll be so happy I wrote all this down, I bet.  I'm exhausted but life is good.