Animal Crackers

Sigh. You know those day that swing drastically from really great to really cruddy to really great to really cruddy...it's enough to give anyone a headache. We have had one of those days today. The kids seem to be in this mood swing thing today, and what they really need is to get out of the house. However, I am very round with child these days, and the idea of taking them to the park by myself just does not appeal.

Back to today. Up, down, up, down, up, down...We have been taking a nap in the morning the last two days in a row because for whatever reason, the kids are ready to fall out by 10am. This works well for me, as I am not sleeping well these days due to a wiggly baby. We got up the first time about 7 (oh bless the 7!), ate breakfast, played some, fought some, sang lots, whined some, read books then threw books at one another (the kids, not me), hung laundry on the laundry line (yeah for sunshine!), watched Elmo, and then Sarah Grace fell asleep in the floor. I moved her to her bed and Thomas and I curled up together in my bed. By 11am, we were all up and going again. Lunch was a loud, cranky affair. Nobody wanted to eat, and I didn't want to force the issue. I spooned bananas and rice cereal into their mouths and called it quits.

Then, they cried and whined and moaned and groaned for about two hours. Finally, about 1:30, things seemed to even out some. They suddenly found their cheerful sides and we did some handprints and footprints and played in the clay for a bit. When they tired of that, they started chanting for crackers. I consented, since they ate such a ratty lunch and it was snack time. They ate tons of the things, no wonder! While they sat contentedly at their little table and had crackers and apple juice, I worked on cleaning up the kitchen and the mess from the clay.

As I worked, I heard my kids laughing hysterically and calling out 'again, swim again'. It was several minutes before it registered in my fluff for brains head that their voices were fading in and out. I peeked around the corner and saw them sitting at their little table, swishing their arms around with animals crackers clenched in their fists. Fine by me, I thought. If they need to swing the crackers back and forth before they are deemed edible, far be it for me to stop them. They were CHEERFUL! The laughing and 'swimming' carried on in the living room, and I continued my work in the kitchen. When I finished, I rounded the corner to find that my laughing children were not in their seats.

Brace yourself. They were in the bathroom. Still chanting 'Again, swim, again!' Wanna know what was swimming? The animal crackers. Wanna know where? In the potty. Handfuls of animal crackers floating in the 'watering hole'. I couldn't help but laugh as I tried to chide my children. Innocent little creatures...the kids or the animal crackers. Take your pick.

As I write this, the kids are back in crabby mode. I have set them in their seats for chair time to help my sanity recover from 20 minutes of whining. Wish I knew what was up with them... Hope the animal crackers don't back up the potty...Hope tomorrow I manage to get them to a playground! =)