For the Sake of Posterity...

I will log my crumby (crummy?) day.

It wasn't really all that bad, but for some reason (okay, there's at least one really good reason that I'll get to) my eyes look either like I've been crying for the last 5 hours, or I'm sick and therefore exhausted -- BOTH of which happen to be true. I'm on the upswing of sickness, but it's there all the same.

Normal morning - except that I find Patrick butt naked doing who-knows-what in his bedroom trying to avoid actually getting dressed. (Has this ever happened to anyone else?)

I mention at the beginning of the day that Patrick will probably go to a friend's house sometime during the day so that I can pack and not be neglectful. So for the next hour he's constantly saying, "Did you call George and Henry's mommy? When can I go over to their house?"

I'm late picking Bekah up. Again. I think I was on time once this week. It's been a bad week on timing.

Nanny wanted to schedule pictures with the kids before they go and was planning on doing it this afternoon. She assumed I'd go 'cause they're my kids, I assumed she was going because SHE was the one who wanted the pictures and I can use all the kid-less time possible to pack. With these communication skills in mind, you can guess that we didn't exactly end up coordinating very well for pictures today....

Lunch is fine. Patrick's playdate with George and Henry is in line and I get someone to take Bekah.

Michael calls. He's found a house for us to rent and he's THRILLED about it. Drawbacks: in a school district that everyone has said to stay away from because of budget cuts, 25 min. commute, we can't move in until 3 weeks after Mikey starts the new job.

I try packing but end up folding clean clothes and organizing so my brain can think properly. Not much accomplished here. I'm also highly distracted by the housing thing and starting to get emotional.

Call Mikey and bawl about my concerns. "Is this really the best place? Is Bekah going to be okay in these schools? Is the commute really worth it? Can we even afford it?" He talks me through things and I feel better, but the floodgates had been opened.

Picked up the kids and started bawling again at my VTer's house (she had Bekah). Meanwhile, Bekah is giggling and running away from me. Oh, so fun....

Run a few errands around town. They take longer than expected, but they are finished.

Decide to go to IF for dinner. Free Cafe Rio!! So worth it. I invite Eli to come along for kid help and company. Besides, he's graduated now and not doing tons yet.

Good drive, good food. I realize that I'm the only one in the restaurant shouting across the place to get my children (Patrick in particular) to be obedient. The kid keeps running away.

Head to the mall to see if I can score a few new white shirts on the Easter sale for Mikey.

Eli and I try to figure out what a poplin shirt is for one minute and Patrick disappears. We start looking in the store. After 5 min of looking I realize this is serious. I can't find him anywhere! I keep thinking about the spanking he's going to get when I find him.

Eli sticks around Penny's with the kids and I start sprinting to other stores looking.

Come back and they've called a Code ADAM in Penny's. I sprint to Macey's and ask them to notify mall security as once again I loose my cool and full out cry. Poor lady spoke very calmly and handed me a box of tissues. They probably have to take a class on how to handle distraught parents who've lost their children.

Talked to mall security and then raced back to Penny's. Saw Eli and kids (no Patrick) waiting by the entrance with a few staff members. I turned right around and sprinted to Sears - the only big store left in the mall. As I enter I see him being directed by a worker and an elderly couple and the tear dam burst again. I was SO relieved that all I could do was cry and hold him. No thought of punishment at that moment was in my head. After he cried a little he told me that no "bad" people had taken him - like this had been an adventure???!!!! How do you instill in a 4 year old's mind that this was seriously bad?

So many people stopped me to give me a hug and tell me they knew how I felt. I didn't care. Patrick was safe and we were together again.

Bekah gets to pretend play on the toys while I take Patrick potty. His punishment for running away was that he didn't get to play.

While I'm gone, Bekah mooches a ride off a dad who's there with his two girls. Basically she followed them around and kept climbing on the rides they tried to get on and when they couldn't decide which to ride next, she'd chime in what SHE wanted. Eli tried to discipline, bless his heart, and did the right thing. But I guess because he wasn't the parent, she wasn't listening very well and he didn't know what else to do. The guy finally offered to let her ride with one of his girls and half way through she stole the joystick control from her!! The nerve! I think she's grounded from these for a long time.

It's time for bed now. I'm taking my tired eyes, sick body, and PMS-y ways to bed. I'm going to sleep. Can someone set Andrew's internal clock for 8 am instead of 6:30? That would be nice.