Scattered

This morning we had to get up extra, extra early in order to pick Kid #1 up from a sleepover in another town, get Kid #2 to a baseball game at 8:30am and then Kid #3 to a swimming lesson at 11:30am.

And only one parent was on duty.

You guessed it, I was that parent.

Anyway, when I dragged Kid #2's raggedy behind out from under the crumpled mess that had become his bed linens overnight, he wasn't too happy. He sulked and seemed disoriented and even went to his closet to grab school clothes when I had his baseball uniform laid out for him . . . just like every Saturday morning.

I woke Kid #3 up at the last possible moment, fearing the ugly it's-morning-and-I-should-be-getting-my-beauty-sleep monster that was sure to greet me.

Yup, everything was normal, there she was, in all of her glory. So I wrestled Kid #3 into her clothes, hastily brushed her teeth, grabbed a bag of apples and some granola bars and headed to the car; which, thankfully, I'd packed the night before with our necessary items.

After picking Kid #1 up, from the sleepover (which is kind of an oxymoron don't you think, I mean, come on, they do everything but sleep), we were finally en route to destination baseball field.

Sitting in weather that is not quite rain and not quite not rain is terribly annoying. It is also even more terribly annoying with crabby children in tow. Let's just say that I am eternally grateful for parking spots close to the field, ones that are close enough that you can leave a sullen, tired and cranky 11-year-old in the car while you try to keep score with a wiggly 4-year-old on your lap.

Let's also just say that I was not amused by the mothers gathered around me, with their Starbuck's sporting perfect foam, who were not holding wiggly 4-year-olds or keeping track of pitches despite my frantic, last minute email requesting help.

One did hold the umbrella for me though, so the ink wouldn't smudge all over the playbook.

I think I would have married her if she'd brought me a latte.

So the crazy, busy morning drags on, like it does for many a parent all over the world. I know I'm not alone. I know that with each ticking minute that passes that we are all just a little bit closer to the glorious hour known as bedtime. I know that it will come sooner than usual for my tired children and for that, I am grateful.

But I do know one thing, if I have to listen to Kid #2 sing, "C-a-m-p-f-i-r-e s-o-n-g song, and if you don't think we can sing it faster than you're wrong! It'll help if you'll just sing along!" one more time, I'm trading in my mommy card for a job on a cruise ship.

We aren't camping and I'm not singing!