All planned out

I had it all planned out.

We had a playgroup this morning, so I scheduled BG's haircut for after it.  I would take the girls out for lunch after, and they'd both fall asleep in the car on the way home.   I'd be the best mom ever, we'd all have fun, and I'd get a break.  It was perfect.

Or, you know, it would have been.  If reality hadn't gotten in the way.

My friend had a family emergency and had to cancel the playgroup.  I was disappointed.

And if I have an emotion, you can pretty much multiply it by one hundred and that's where my eldest daughter is.

"BUT I WANNA GO TO MY FRIEND'S HOUSE."

"I know, baby.  I wanted to go too.  It's disappointing.  I know.  We can do something else though.". I looked out the window. It was pouring rain.  "How about open gym time?"

"I WANNA GO TO MY FRIEND'S HOUSE OR DO NOTHING."

"well.  Okay.  We can do nothing."

An hour and a half of nothing later, she turned to me, "Okay, are we going to the gym now?'

" Oh.  Umm.  It's already 11.  Your hair cut is at 12.  There isn't really time."

"BUT I WANNA GO TO THE GYM."

sigh.

I somehow convinced her to get into the car without any promises about where we would go.  Five minutes later, both my children were asleep.

....

I.

No one was talking to me.

No one was asking anything of me.

I turned off the Elmo music.

I got myself a drive through coffee and put on my audio book.

Guys?  It was a veritable vacation.

...

The hair cut went great.  No kicking, no screaming, no complaining.  So I sprung for the lunch.

And in the parking lot of max and Erma's, BG jumped in a giant puddle.  Repeatedly.  Before lunch.

"MOMMY.  MY FEET ARE WET."

And guys?  I don't know how it happened, maybe it was the coffee and the book, but I was possessed by the spirit of someone calm and rational.

"I know.  That's because you jumped in the puzzle.  How's your pizza?"

"Not good because my feet are wet."

"Oh, that's too bad. Can your sister have your melon if you aren't going to eat it?"

"Yes.  But, mommy?  Jumping in puddles is fun."

"I can see that, honey.  But then you have wet feet. May I suggest something?"

"Uh, yes, mommy?"

"Maybe next time, if you really want to jump in a puddle, you should do it at home.  Not, you know, before lunch in a restaurant."

So. I guess I should have expected that when I let her out of her car seat at home she would immediately run outside and jump in a puddle.

And I guess I should have expected that when she did that, little sister would run outside too, bouncing at the knees and laughing out loud.

What I didn't expect is that when BG said, "come on, mommy!" I would walk outside, stand in the rain, and jump.

And, there in that moment, letting go of all the plans, I realized that I was the best mom ever, and today has turned out perfect after all.