I had a HUGE meltdown yesterday.  I've never melted like that before. Ever. I'm talking butter on a frying pan turned on high type of melt.  It wasn't pretty.
After shoveling 8-10 inches of wet snow off my driveway, I got ready for church and called up a friend to pick me & the munchkins up since I knew the van would get stuck.  We headed out the door at a quarter to 11.  Popeye had his truck warming up and was leaving right behind us for another week. Sigh.
Thor was out of religious character that day, jumping on the pew and waving his nursery craft in everyone's personal space.  He, Grand Duchess and I spent sacrament meeting in the foyer. Again.
When we got home Mr Fantastic tried beating his siblings at least 4 times and by 6:30 I was done. After Thor ran in to tell me Optimus Prime hit him, I called for the two older boys to come to me.  And then Mr. Fantastic did it.  He set me over my edge.
He smirked.
And quicker than he could even think to wipe that smirk away, I had him by the collar pushed up against my doorway.  It was all I could do at that moment because every fiber of my being wanted to smack his handsome little smile. I gritted my teeth and through a clenched jaw, told them both to get on their jammies and go to their room.  And DON'T come out.
And then I commenced getting the other kids into jammies and into bed.  Yes, it was too early.  But they knew that Mom was about to kill someone and no one wanted to be that someone.
And then my dad called.  And I cried.  And cried.  And then he got my mom on the phone.  And I cried some more.  And she told me to quit my pity party (the nerve!) and began helping me make a plan of action.
I went to bed feeling a little better but still wanted Popeye home.
When I woke up this morning 5 more inches of fresh, wet snow had landed themselves across my porch, steps, long driveway and sidewalk.  So out I went to shovel it all off (my OCD is starting to show, isn't it?) and left the older kids to get the younger ones fed.
I got us all off to school and as I was leaving the school parking lot, I lost momentum going up the hill (because of that long line of cars in front of me) and I got stuck.  Luckily, I slid to the side a little so cars were able to go around me. (Our town refuses to plow - a HUGE drawback.)
I cried again.  This time to my Heavenly Father.  I can't do this.  I can't do this alone.  And within 30 seconds 3 people were there to help me, one of them being the same lady who took me to church yesterday.  They managed to maneuver my van to a point that I could go back down the hill and try again.  And it worked.  And I am so thankful.
so I came home, cleaned a bit and then rearranged that mold-free room to accomodate 2, possibly 3 boys.  Tomorrow I'll pick up a couple or box springs from the local furniture store and get the room finished so that personal space will totally be available to them!
And I just thought of this and thought I'd share with you all...  People have said to me, "Call me whenever you need ANYTHING".  Uh huh.  Yeah.  I should do that.  However, it has been my experience (today - twice) that when I do, they can't help.  I know people can't be waiting around for me to call for help.  I guess I just really hope they feel bad that they won't, I mean, can't follow through on their offer.  (And that's my pity party self coming through.)
Anyway.  I guess that's it.  Pizza's ready.  (Loveliness of Popeye being gone is that the kids can live off of chicken nuggets, cold cereal & pizza for dinner and I've redeemed myself as best mother in the world.