Mommy Meltdown

How do you entertain three 20 month olds all day in June in Houston when it's 100 degrees outside and they love the outdoors?  Silly, if you know anything, you should know that is a rhetorical question and can not be answered because you can NOT entertain three 20 month olds that love the outdoors all day in Houston's summer heat.  It is IM.POSS.IBLE. 

I just had an email from another triplet mommy asking this question - her words nearly screamed, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING????"  And my response was: drowning!  My kids love, love, love being outside.  But short of our walks and outdoor backyard time from 8 am to 10 am and our post dinner swims at 7 pm, we can't go outside.  Heck, I was panicked yesterday when I put the kids in the car for an outing after the AC had been running nearly 10 minutes because the car was still too hot!  And I have three more months to survive.  They stand with their little faces pressed up against the wall of windows in our playroom like sad little puppies with a mommy that doesn't get their pain.  Oh I get it, trust me wee ones, I get it.  And they are teething again.  What the heck is that?  And Bray's gone this week on a fishing vacation.  And I'm buried up at the office so that if I start digging out now I should be done by Christmas.  And I'm representing the family in a land dispute.  And I gained three pounds. 

Do you just ever have one of those weeks?  Where you just say, "seriously?!?!"  I totally realize that each of these issues is so entirely minor.  And that there are a million people that would love my problems.  The kids climbing the walls is really a blessing because I have kids and they can climb the walls.  The husband taking a vacation means I have a husband and we had the money in the bank so he could go fishing.  The overworked frenzy means I have a job.  The three pounds means I enjoyed some insanely yummy red velvet cupcakes last week (yes, that was plural).  All blessings.  Thank you Lord.  But.........(couldn't you hear that coming!) 

Thank you for my blessings, but I'm tired.  But I'm out of ideas.  But I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off.  Please don't take my exasperation as ingratitude, it's not I promise.  But I'm a little frayed.  If you could find a moment, in between all your work on world hunger and bringing peace to the Middle East, to just throw a little extra peace and patience my way, I would be inexpressibly appreciative. 

Until then my fellow Houstonian moms, hang in there, the end of September is only 15 weeks away........