Tuesday

I am ashamed to say I took Jonathan to school in my nightgown this morning. I threw a hoodie over it and some shorts under it, so technically I did have clothes on. But it was a gamble, because we were running way late, and if I had missed one or two green lights on the way, car loop drop off probably would have been over. Then I would have been forced to walk him into preschool in my blue Minnie Mouse nightgown, my pink shorts, my navy hoodie, flip-flops, and my bedtime hair (horribly unbrushed, frizzy, scary.) I made it, thank goodness! Seriously, I might have just turned around and gone home. All the other mommies seem to have their act together at his preschool, like with actual makeup (the makeup I slop on at red lights does not count) and fully dressed. Oh, well. I think he would have been mortified. Last night we gave the kids a bath and got them in their jammies, like we always do before Monday night small group. This way we can put them to bed straightaway when we get back home. When Jonathan heard that we were going to stop off and look at laptops at Circuit City, he staged a protest. He did not have a fit, but he just sat down on the floor and said, No! I am not going to the store in my pajamas! He was so embarrassed that people would see him. I guess it's okay to go to church in your jammies but not an electronics store. We were pretty heartless and we made him go in his pjs anyways. So I can imagine that Mama walking him to his classroom in her "bedtime clothes (as the kids call them)" would have been way uncool.
Anna and I came back home and I started a load of laundry. We were getting along pretty well. I was trying to give her some focused attention and trying to speak to her in a calm, soothing voice, no matter what loud, shrill tone she threw at me. (I am thinking we might need to get her hearing checked. The rest of us are so quiet!) But then I needed about five minutes of computer time (to actually do something, not just to facebook or blog), and she kept opening the disk drive and slapping it. This is not allowed. Our poor laptop is on its last leg anyway. After telling her to Stop it! a couple of times, I spanked her hand. She did not cry, but she folded her arms and stomped off to her bedroom, where she slammed the door. She reminds me of Tinkerbell so much. The way she pouts and sulks. I am thrilled when she shuts herself in her room. It does not punish me one bit! But then I heard her crying and calling for me, so of course I went to her room, to find that her door was locked and she was frantically trying to get it open. I was so upset! I tried to tell her how to unlock the door, and then I ran to the garage to grab an assortment of things I thought I might be able to pick the lock with. I was just going to call Dave to come home and I was almost in tears. None of my tools would work. I told Anna, Honey, just calm down.... And then I heard her say I did it! I was just about to tell her I was so proud of her for staying calm and getting the door unlocked, when she opened the door, and I saw the look of glee on her face. She had known the entire time how to unlock the door and was giggling hysterically at the funny joke she had played on Mama. Her crying was all an act. She said, "I tricked you, Mama! I know how to do that door!"
What a little skunk! I guess she got what she wanted, which was to sabotage my computer time.