A Mom By Any Other Name...

In our house I often wonder what I actually am: a mother, a policewoman or a zookeeper? Yesterday I was definitely a zookeeper!!

What really made the day difficult is the fact that Jordan is teething at the moment, and is not a happy baby! He wants to be in my arms all the time and has developed a scream which he lets loose if nobody takes notice of him immediately.

Even though it's holidays, Eden had a music lesson, so I thought I'd drop her off and go to Fruit and Veg City while she was busy. I planned to go alone with Jordan, but Keren had other ideas...

One of my biggest problems is that I never seem to get out of the house in good enough time, no matter how early I start preparing -- there's just always something extra to do, or to get in my way. By the time I walked out of the door, I had 5 minutes to get to Eden's lesson which is a 10 minute drive away! I got to the car to find Keren and Ben already inside and waiting to go with me. The effort involved in trying to get them out of the car and back inside without tears is more than I felt I could take, plus there was the time to consider, so along they came.. I just knew it was going to be tough.Since I had planned to go alone, I hadn't given either of them the 'once over' to make sure they were presentable, and what do you think - neither of them were!! Keren's hair looked like she'd crawled through a bush backwards, she had no shoes on, and her skirt was back to front! (Don't ask how - I don't know..) Ben was wearing a summer shirt with warm winter pants ( I must pack the winter clothes away..) Thankfully we found a pair of sandals that had been left in the car after Church on Sunday, as well as a hairband (but no brush!) so I was able to make Keren look slightly better, and I just hoped no-one looked too closely at anybody's clothes...Once at Fruit and Veg City I popped Jordan into his pram, and gave the trolley to Ben to push. Keren immediately decided that she had to ride on the front of the trolley! Now Ben and Keren are both LOUD children! (Is this a characteristic of younger children in large families??) We can never go anywhere and not be noticable with those two around... Ben of course felt that Keren should not be on the trolley and it was his job to get her off. Jordan decided, after two minutes of being in his pram that he wasn't happy and had to let me know it in no uncertain terms!

I really tried hard to dash around the shop quickly, but Keren kept trying to 'help' me by putting things into the trolley - anything that looked good to her - but is generally NOT what I need or want.

By the time I reached the check out, Jordan had had enough, and was letting loose one scream after another. I had to pick him up and unpack the trolley with him in my arms. Keren tried to help, but was more in the way than anything, and Ben kept trying to wheedle a 'treat' out of me.

God Bless the car-guard who unpacked my trolley for me, while I got the kids into the car, Jordan screaming all the while. I had just got into the car when I was approached by an old man who wanted to know where he could buy a teddy bear.... I had to climb out and close the car doors on Jordan's screams just to be able to think... where on earth is the nearest toy shop??

I guess the old man knew he'd made a mistake asking me, because he just nodded at my directions and then got into his car. Poor guy - I hope he found his way somewhere!

Luckily Jordan fell asleep on the way home - PEACE! I dropped the veggies off as well as the kids - who were now munching on popcorn and dashed back to fetch Eden -- ALONE!