and the day is only half over...

Last night I went to bed at 7:30.  Yes, 7:30.  As I was getting my pajamas on at, oh, 7:15, before my own children even had theirs on, I asked Patrick why I was so tired.  He said it is because I never took a break yesterday.  True.  And because I have been having crazy nonsensical yet unsettling dreams at night.  That is why when I woke up at 6:00 this morning, a full 10 1/2 hours since I went to sleep, I was still tired.  This morning has been nonstop, so I decided that durning naptime, instead of cleaning and doing laundry, I will take a break and do something fun and restful.  Lucky you, that means I blog.

So, today, I got stuck in a car wash.  After dance class, we were heading over to the mall because I needed to look for something, and I decided to stop at the car wash.  The car wash terrifies Henry and Malcolm, but Henry was at school, so I thought, "Oh, I'll just cover Malcolm's face, he'll be fine."  (I know, I know, I'm not going to win any Mother of the Year awards with an attitude like that...)  I also decided to do the "touch free" car wash, which I have never done before, thinking it may be less terrifying because there are no brushes coming at you.  I must admit, car wash brushes terrify me a little, too.  So, we roll on in there and it gets started spraying soap all over my car, I look back at the babester, and he is on alert, but ok with Ceci's jacket partially covering his face.  Ceci is pestering me to get out of her seat, and I'm telling her no when the car, which is in park, lurches backward.  I think, "That was weird."  Then I notice the car wash is not moving.  I look around, but it is past me, so I can't see the little stop and go lights.  I actually can't see anything because my car is covered in white foam.  I am a little nervous, so I swish the windshield wipers one time.   Yeah, the car wash has definitely shut off.  Right over my car.  I put down the window slightly, still a little scared that it would suddenly come back to life.  I look up and see that the sprayer is about even with the luggage rack on my roof.  Fantastic.  I guess it hit the rack (that would be the lurching we felt) and shut off.  This has never happened before.  So I look behind me.  Amazingly, the woman behind me is a mom from Ceci's dance class.  Wonderful.  So she says, " Do you need to back up?"  I say, "Yeah."  So she backs up a few feet, I back up enough to determine that the car wash is not turning back on.  So I look back again.  "Do I need to back up all the way?"  "I say, "Yeah, it won't let me go forward."  Now, to enter this car wash, you have to make a sharp right turn, and it is all metal guardrail and concrete post the whole way.  She was driving some enormous car, like a Yukon XLT, and I, my minivan with poor rear vision. I don't think she hit the guardrail, but I know I sure did.  So, we both back out, and I tell her what happened, and she decides to give it a go and see if it still works.  (It did) I, on the other hand, was not willing to go in there again, so instead I paid MORE money to get one of those spray hoses in the self serve bay and stand out in the 40 degree weather spraying the soap off my car while it all sprayed back in my face and the wind blew it all over my clothes and Malcolm sat in the car crying.  Ceci was disappointed we didn't get to finish the car wash but otherwise unruffled.  

After that, I decided we needed lunch at Chick -fil-a.  So, in the food court, we navigate stroller, highchair, food, and 3 drinks to a table only to realize the water is leaking out of a small hole in the bottom of the cup and has left a heavenly host of droplets down my pantleg.  Also, just a warning to you Chick-fil-a fans,  they have changed the recipe for the chicken strips from a crunchy bite of heavenly goodness to soggy seasoned wet fuzz.  

After a stroll through the mall and a soiree in the play area where we ran into Tara, Tanner, and Tory, we left to pick up Henry.  As I was a little late, I had to park way on the other side of the church next to the school and drag my children along through the freezing wind.  Ceci wanted to wear the leash/ harness thing, generally reserved for Malcolm the Wandering Babester, so I let her.  She had been such a good sport all morning, except for when I made her put her sweater and (soft) pants on over her leotard before going into the 40 degree great outdoors.  

A note here about the temperature.  I know many of you are scoffing at me right now because, well, in certain places, 40 degrees is a warm spring afternoon.  However, in Florida, 40 degree daytime temps do not come around much, so we are not very well equipped.  I have no idea where anyone's gloves are (well, I can find one of each), and I never remember to grab hats.  Henry and I don't even have appropriate coats, Ceci and Malcolm do, but they weren't wearing them today mainly because I don't really know what 40 feels like anymore,  and I thought a sweater would be enough.  (It wasn't)  Ceci kept telling me her head was cold, I wasn't wearing socks, and Malcolm obviously shuddered at the wind when I opened the door to leave the mall.  My house is constantly freezing because, well, the entire interior floor is tile.  Even so, I love it when it gets this cold.  

On the plus side, Henry came home wearing a good citizen button.  I'm not sure how rigorous the screening process is or how this came about, but I'll keep you posted.  He gets a free meal at "Beef O' Brady-O's" as he calls it.  (Beef O'Brady's)  Not my eatery of choice, but maybe Daddy can take him.