What if they see us?

Today was a comedy of problems and laughs. We pulled through it: two sick babies, one tired (and possibly sick) mama.  Lily woke up at 2am, said she was feeling great and wanted to watch tv.  Unbeknownst to her, I happened to know, she was running a fever, because I have special fever sensing powers. Nonetheless, I set her up with Diego and went back to sleep. 

I couldn't get a nanny. So I wrote in sick to my virtual job. And we had an honesty-goodness lazy messy unproductive sick day! We didn't eat good meals, we turned the house into a sty, we did not do any proper educational activities - not a single book got read! 

Eventually, I decided, it was time to go buy snow shoes as we are going to Mount Baldy this weekend. I got them together and not an hour later, we were in the car. And i got lost! Then Alex decided, he wanted some character cap and was going to HIT ME if I didn't get it for him. He is going through a bully stage, having learned that scaring people enables him to get his way. I used the opportunity to explain the general consequences of bullying in society and did not buy him the cap.

I was starving.  Beyond starving.  (Mark Sisson, you can go do your fasting thing if you think it's healthy - I need to EAT! This is not my prim-and-proper all-paleo cave kitchen blog - and god damned, I can say it if I want to!) The only thing we saw for what always seems to me like miles of mall (I am not a big shopper!) was a pretzel stand. Well, pretzel it is, then! I was beyond exhaustion or arguing. I got Alex every single thing he pointed at, spending $25 at the stupid pretzel store and settled in to eat.  Oh, god, it was horrible!

At the end of the long night, we are wandering through Burlington Coat Factory like Moses in the desert, looking for mittens. We had to ask for directions at least a dozen times as they don't believe in signs at that store. At one point Alex said, "You know, mommy, I was thinking, everyone you ask for directions knows where to go."  "What you are trying to say is, your mommy is the only one who doesn't?"  "Yep!" Sigh... The outcome: no snow mittens. And now, the last thing of the day: getting out of the mall successfully and going home. I was spent.  There was nothing left. May be it was the hunger, may be the pretzels, may be the two angels got me sick.  But I laid down on the floor and the kids and I cuddled and played like it was our living room. It was fun!

"Hey guys," I said.  Look around: can you tell, we are the only family cuddling on the floor, everyone else is just wandering about shopping?"  "What if they see us?" said Alex. "Let me give you a piece of advice.  NEVER worry about them seeing you.  You are either right - or wrong. And what they see doesn't change that."

And with that, we successfully (surprise!) found my car.  I was so excited (part of me was predicting another forty days through the parking lot!) and I said, "Yay! Who has the best mommy in the world?"  "Yi-yi does!" said Lily.  "Alex does!" said Alex.  And in the end, it wasn't a bad day after all.