A Saturday Full of "Fun" Surprises

It's pretty funny that I wrote the "I'm going to be thankful no matter what" post at 6am Saturday morning.  Sometimes you just never know, do you?

Wanna know what happened Saturday?

The day started off GREAT.  Spent a few moments with the kiddos before Husband took them on a two hour jaunt to Panera, then to the playground.  I accomplished MUCH and felt productive and ready to single mom-it the rest of the day while Husband tailgated.

Then I went upstairs to change and voila!  Our hamster had died during the night.  Or so I thought.  I debated hiding her and just telling Oldest that she'd escaped, but decided, "No, I have these crazy standards about honesty, gotta tell her."

They came home and I dropped the bomb.  As tactfully as I could.  Of course there were many tears.  She wanted to help bury her, which I'm fine with, so we went up to get her.  I wrapped her in a paper towel to take downstairs and the towel started moving!  OMG, seriously?

So we opened the towel up and watched her, discovering that she wasn't dead YET, just seriously ill.  I called the vet (had to give it due diligence, right?).  And our vet only handles cats and dogs.  So we were on our own.   For 30 minutes, she convulsed every minute or so, finally dying after a large, extended gasp. Yes, that kind of thing really does happen. 

As if it wasn't sad enough to tell Oldest her hamster died.  Then we had the false hope of her not being dead, maybe getting revived and then finally the shock of watching her die right in front of our eyes.  Probably not one of my top 100 ways to spend a Saturday morning.

So we went around the table and said what we liked about Scutter the Hamster:

Oldest - "I liked that she was my own, my first real pet."  Crying all the while.
Husband - "I liked the name you gave her, Oldest."
Youngest - "I wiked howlding her, Scutter."
Miss E - "I liked how tame she was." (Even if she tried to escape loudly and nightly, which is what I think killed her - swallowing the twist tie we used to secure the cage door that she could open by rocking her body - could I make this up?)


We buried her in the back yard with the class turtle who died in our care over the summer.  Ugh.

Next up?  That movie theatre birthday party.  I gave Oldest a free pass to stay home, but she thought it would help her get her mind off Scutter.  She was right of course. 

I have to cross one of my boundaries to say this - but I have to, I just have to.  IT WAS THE BIRTHDAY PARTY FROM HELL. 

Why is this a boundary, you ask?  When I eventually, maybe, go public with this blog to my local friends and acquaintances (a few know now, but not many), I really don't want to slam a local event that people can figure out exactly what and who I'm talking about.  I just don't want to hurt people's feelings that way.

But I have to take my chances.  That bad. 

The party started at 1pm.  Guess what time the movie started?  1:45 or 2, right?  WRONG!  Try 2:30. 

Guess how many activities the kids were entertained with for that 90 minute lull? 

Pizza and cupcakes.  That's IT.  IT I SAY!  8 children in a room with the most obnoxious acoustics I've EVER heard.  Screaming like banshees, jumping on tables, tackling each other, playing "get the robot monster," hitting each other, whacking each other with balloons.  It was so bad, it could have been a movie spoof.  Screaming like BANSHEES, I tell you.  Youngest spent the first 1/2 hour wrapped like cling wrap around my midsection it was so loud.

You can imagine my utter despair, knowing Oldest's track record at birthday parties.  But guess what?  She persevered.  She maintained.  She actually said, and I practically wrote it down at the place so I could frame it and hang it on my wall for challenging days - when asked why she wasn't joining in the "fun," she said, "You guys are being completely out of control and it really doesn't look fun to me.  I'm sitting this out."  OMG.  OMG.  Knock me over with a feather. 

And truth be told, there were only 2-3 kids completely skewing the whole event, the rest were moderately in control.  And sadly, the ringleader of Poor Behavior's mother was right there, so who could discipline her when her mother wouldn't?  Anybody have that problem?  THAT'S one of my top 2 of difficult playdates (or any non-school child interaction) - when the other parent won't be a parent.

So it comes time to leave the party room and head to the theatre.  Youngest and I walk her right up to the theatre door because I'm (not) a helicopter parent, say goodbye, we'll see her after the movie's over.  Head out to the car.

Turn back toward the theatre as I'm putting Youngest in the car and what did I see?  I couldn't make this up if I tried - now it's becoming a horror movie!  The two chaperones for the party were taking the presents and party supplies out to their car.  The kids were ALONE in the theatre! 

What????   

See?  Sometimes being a helicopter parent isn't such a bad idea.  (Though I found out later that the mother referenced above was inside with them, at the time, I didn't know this)

I couldn't stop myself - I walked over and said, "you two ARE chaperoning into the theatre, aren't you?  I mean, it's 8 girls under 10, you know."  They assured me they were just out of the theatre for a minute (which is all it takes for disaster to strike, ladies), but were heading right back in. 

I spent the next 110 minutes aging in LIGHT years, people!  But she came out in one piece.  Thank God. 

Other than that?  Nothing major, except day 3 of no nap from Youngest.  Insert all of the things you know happen when a toddler has a cold AND hasn't napped for 3 days.  Yep, they all happened.

Oh.  And our puppy cried for an hour from 3:30 to 4:30 in the morning. 

Just a day in the life of a Thankful Mom, you know!  BUT it could have been worse, much, much, much worse (like it could have been the puppy who died and I can't even go into what COULD have happened at "just a minute" of unchaperoned children in a darkened movie theatre), so I really was still thankful at the end of the day.  Maybe not so much by 4:30 in the morning though.  ;)

Signed,
Life is full of fun surprises, but today's Monday and I love Mondays.  Seriously.  So much more structure than the weekend.  Right, Lauging at Chaos?  Plus it's grocery day - my fave.