Sunshine After the Rain

Do you ever have one of those days? Well, it's been one of those weeks. It's just been a disaster, mostly in just little, annoying ways. Or maybe it's just that I'm the one feeling like a walking disaster area.

Example 1. Somehow I managed to knock the Brita pitcher on to our stone tiled floor, thinking it had survived unscathed, even though it all poured out, leaving a small lake forming in the kitchen. However, I later discovered the pitcher leaking from a crack down the side -- and filling all three fridge shelves with another small -- albeit shallower -- lake, which then ended up cascading on to the aforementioned kitchen floor. At least it was water. Which leads me to....

Example 2. Upon opening the refrigerator door one morning, the small bottle of A-1 Sauce literally jumped out of the door shelf, shattering into itty bitty pieces on the now very much despised stone floor. Luckily, no one was hurt. Most of the A-1 landed on the tiles, but my right foot and lower leg were covered in the stuff. And while A-1 may work really well for steak, I was pretty sure I didn't want to go around smelling like a barbecue for the rest of the day. Once I gathered up all the glass shards, soaked up the excess A-1 with paper towels, and did a lightning quick mop job with the Swiffer, I washed my right foot and leg in the bathtub. On with my day, right?

Mostly. Later, while playing with my friend Kathleen and her boys, I suddenly realized I could still smell A-1. And then I saw it. Several spatters of brown, sticky sauce on the back of my LEFT leg. You'd think I would have noticed.

Example 3. Makela has decided that 8-9 hours of sleep is quite enough, thank you very much. At least on two or three nights each week. RRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIGHT. So she has been a total crank most days, and it doesn't help that Joe is now in his fourth month of two back-to-back trials, so I've been with Makela nearly 24-7 during that time. So Mommy's patience is worn thin.

Thank goodness for friends who have helped us escape each other, like my new DG friend Patricia, who suggested we go on a picnic yesterday at La Jolla Cove. It was a gorgeous day, and Makela is enchanted with "Miss Patricia" and her elderly dog, Chancey. Makela and Chancey played on the grass, then I took Makela down on the beach, where she frolicked in the water for about 30 minutes. After that, Patricia suggested that we go get ice cream, which of course absolutely made Makela's day. Who can resist chocolate ice cream with crushed Oreos mixed in?

And then there's Gram. She has come to my rescue many times recently. Even if it's just allowing me to get to a Weight Watchers meeting or sit at Starbucks for an hour, it's been sweet relief. Thank you, Mom Reid. You are the BEST.

So all of this brings me to today. Makela woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and it just got worse and worse through the day. She really is well behaved most of the time, especially when we're out and about, but there was no pleasing her today. Even at music class, which normally keeps her enthralled, she was grabbing my egg shakers and dancing scarves while saying "Mine!" Suddenly she was two years old again.

At around 2:45, Makela finally fell asleep, after crying and screaming bloody murder about how she wanted to be done with her quiet time. For at least 10 minutes. I'm afraid the neighbors must have thought I was torturing her. I had to wake her up an hour later, since I had to run an errand and didn't want her to sleep too late in the day.

She woke up a different child. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy she was to get motivated (half-asleep as she still was). We ran our errand, I realized I'd forgotten her Little Einsteins lunch box with snacks in it -- and her sports bottle filled with water, but only after I'd already suggested we go to a park to play. She asked for Dinosaur Park, so I thought we'd give it a shot, and we had a terrific time. We played with her soccer ball, and we met a new dog friend -- a beautiful boxer named Bella.

Since I was just not looking forward to cooking at home and realized that I hadn't eaten much today and was therefore STARVING, I suggested that we go out to eat to celebrate the turn-around in her mood and to have a special "Mommy and Makela" dinner. We went to Red Robin, of course. Makela adores their Cheesy Mac-n-Cheesy. And she actually asked for apple slices to go with it, all on her own! Yippee -- no talking her down from ordering french fries!

And Makela was delightful all during dinner. I had to ask her to lower her voice a few times, but she was just happy singing and making silly faces at me.

But then, to make all of the above chaos completely, 100% worth it, Makela uttered the sweetest, most wonderful thing she's said in a while. She looked at me, her eyes got really big, and this is what she said:

"Mommy, when I grow up, I'm going to have a purple house. And it's going to be right next to your house. And we can have white windows, and you can open yours and you can talk to me every day."

It's moments like these when I am absolutely stunned by how lucky I am. It's been a rough week or so. But if this is what comes out of it, I'd do it all over again.