Some days I wish I had about 12 hands...a pair for each kid!
For instance, yesterday I stepped into Dollar Tree carrying: a sleeping baby in a car seat that weighs about 88 pounds, my diaper bag which was overflowing and falling off my shoulder, Liam who was running circles around me singing Justin Beiber's "I will Never say Neverrrrr" at the top of his lungs, and Julianna who was standing next to me pouting because she wanted to go out the "other door" of the car and I didn't let her. I was a pitiful sight as soon as I entered the door.
I fumbled around with their miniature sized carts as I tried to somehow place Aidan's carrier on it which wound up sideways on top of it. (side note: seriously, Dollar Tree must buy their shopping carts for a dollar because apparently they can't invest in full sized carts...strange.) So as I'm trying to figure it all out Liam takes off running as fast as he can down an aisle....an extra pair of hands, lightning quick reflexes and maybe the flexibility of Elasti-girl would've really helped here but NO. So I tell Julianna, "Wait right here with Aidan" and I take off running after Liam which only increases his speed down yet another aisle, all the while he is laughing like this is the funniest game ever! I catch him and drag him back to Julianna, Aidan and the cart...which I still haven't even removed from the cart area at the front of the store and I'd been there for what seemed like 18 hours already but was probably more like 2 minutes. (total run on sentence...sue me) The rest of the shopping trip was fairly uneventful (with the exception of Liam continuing to sing, "Never say neverrr, fight for foreverrr" as loudly as he could) Let's just say shopping trips like that leave me exhausted.
I got home and thought I had all this time to "relax" before the other kids came home from school but 3:30 rolls around too quickly in this house. When the 3 older children came home from school my day got totally flipped upside down! In they came with all their energy and BAM! This one needed me to sign something, that one wants a snack, the other wants to tell me all about their day...I'm juggling papers, pencils, trying to feed the baby at the same time. I'm barking orders, checking back packs, changing a way overdue diaper, trying to listen to another story about how they got seating arrangements in lunch and she can't sit by her best friend anymore, cleaning up spilled cereal, calming the boy frustrated with math homework, trying desperately to put Aidan down to play for 5 minutes so I can attend to the others kids needs but every time I do he wails....this is where extra hands would come in handy. Oh and maybe extra ears. And if we are talking about things that won't ever happen I sometimes wish I could clone myself in entirety.
I have proof that the theory of evolution is wrong. In the zillions of years that there have been mothers of small children we have never "evolved" to grow more hands to meet the needs of our ever growing, ever demanding children. Too bad cause I could really use a pair....or 6....
7 comments:
I can totally relate. I have had many a trip to the dollar store that amounted to me almost in tears heading back to the car empty handed because my kids turned into terrors the second the doors opened.
You are amazing. Don't you forget it!
You are far more brave than I ever was. When my middle three were all little I didn't even attempt shopping. If I had to go somewhere I would creatively put all three in a double stroller and try to keep Marisa right next to it. I wish Amazon carried everything they do now back then. It would have made life so much easier.
Keep smiling! And enjoy those little ones. Eventually they become teenagers. Having four of those I appreciate Audrey even more.
I don't know what you're talking about. My children always walk quietly in a single file line. :) Don't you hate those moms and all their perfection?
You are a great mother!
After going to the grocery store by myself with all five kids, I refuse to do errands that involve stores and more than one child! So, don't feel bad! I do wish we had more arms, though I'm not seeing it as attractive.
The dollar store is the WORST!!!! I try to avoid going with more than one child.
Your after school time sounds like mine. Once the kids get home from school I have no time for anything but kids and dinner until bedtime. I won't even talk on the phone then.
I don't know how you do it. I take three kids with me to the store and for the most part they are well-behaved, but then the fighting begins...who gets to sit where, what bar of the shopping cart they want to hold (and inevitably it's the SAME bar...imagine that) who wants what cereal or bread or juice or toy or...
You're a trooper, Alida. Hang in there!
Your evolution comment still has me laughing!
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