Friday

For us, there is not a worse day than Friday, which is funny because it used to be my favorite day of the week.  When I was in New York, we'd make plans all day and then do something in the city for happy hour and then wind our way back to Hoboken, nowhere to go, nowhere to be.  Today:

• we woke up before 6:00 to the strains of Anthony having his fifth horrible wake-up tantrum in a row.  Mike went in, then I went in, then we both left, then the girls woke up, then he tantrummed some more, and then he came downstairs and lay on the couch, just fine.  
• took the girls to get some donut holes for my friend Emily's house.  I pulled out in front of this car, that was waaaaay behind me and I tried to quickly get up to the speed limit before the car was close to me, and succeeded.  But the LOON behind me was riding my ass, waving at me, all mad.   Of course, they turned left where I did, so I had another mile or two of them riding behind me.  And of course, I had to stop at the bakery right off of the road, and I was afraid they were going to pull behind me.  If I was by myself, I would WELCOME that fight.  I swear to God, I am a loose cannon these days!  But I was with the girls so instead of looking for a fight, I dialed "911" and just made sure the woman didn't follow me.  She didn't.  We got the donut holes and I got some milk because I didn't have enough and I felt like even though it was a fast day, I should keep eating something because sometimes I feel a little sick if I don't keep eating.  But I forgot the milk and I had to put the girls in the van, then drive up and run in and get the milk.  The IDIOT behind the counter said, "was that your milk?" when I came in and I thought, bitch, please.  You KNOW that was my milk, you just CHARGED me for it.  There are like SIX of them behind the counter, I was obviously with two little kids, it would have killed you to come after me and say "hey!  You forgot your milk!".  So.  Annoyed.
• I had a nice time at Emily's and the girls were good and seemed to have fun, so that was great, although Maria did "pee, just a little, on her underwear".  Maria has entered some phase of toilet training where she thinks a little pee (or poop) is no big deal.  I am working on it and mad at myself, because I have been trying to not freak out on her, and to tell her, "it's okay, just keep trying".  Now she pees "a little" and thinks it's some kind of victory!  
• I took Maria and Veronica to P. Flynn's for lunch, Maria wanted chicken and fries and I'd rather go there than McD's but OMG was she bad.  Baaaaaad.  Freaking out, crying, just ... bad.  And my friend Tim went into the game room and won them a toy, even!  Just bad!  But we made it through and went home. 
• Then the girls napped, which is good, because it gave me a little time to sit down (15 minutes) and some time to clean up before Anthony and Amy and Lisa were all coming for home therapy. 
• Maria and Veronica were up shortly after Anthony got home, and it was... difficult.  Maria is a difficult person, she just is.  She is FINE if you want to do everything she says but the minute, the second, that you tell her that you can't do it RIGHT THEN, it all goes to hell.  It is beyond exhausting to be here with her for V's speech therapy and for A's home therapy. 
• So I talked a lot with Lisa, from Anthony's school, and I feel good about where we are.  I am hopeful that things will start to come together and I am really excited about the iPad and where that will lead us.  
• But Anthony had one long episode and a few short ones.  Then those guys left and Mike came home.
• I forget why, but I had Maria upstairs in her room, so when Mike got home, I just went up and let her out and went in my room for a timeout so I wouldn't kill anyone.
• Mike gave the kids dinner, and they don't eat a bite and then they get baths and brush their teeth and want to come downstairs and eat everything.  Should I give them dinner after their baths?  Send them to bed hungry?  I feel like this would bite me  in the ass.  
• Mike went out to get some milk for me and some dinner for us and right after he left, Anthony dumped out a whole pitcher of Crystal Light grape juice.  It went everywhere so I cleaned it up and the whole time he was waiting, patiently, for me to clean it up and then give him some freaking juice.  I cleaned it up and then I walked out of the room and BOOM! he dumped his chair over and I took him up to bed.  I am over him - he just gets to a point in the day where he is just going to destroy stuff and I can't take it. 
• I have picked up, no exaggeration, hundreds of things today.  He drops ice cream sandwiches everywhere and I don't always find them right away.  He is upstairs screaming right now so I am going to have to go up.  He's extremely tired, up before 6 every morning this week and up late at night, and so, so screamy every morning.  It has to be tiring, right?  I said to him before, when I was leaving his room, just go to sleep.  It's Friday, tomorrow is Saturday and you can sleep in.  I don't know - is his receptive language not that good?  Does he just not want to take my advice?  It's all a mystery.  A stupid, boring mystery, not a good, exciting Agatha Christie or something.  
• Thank God it's Good Friday, because I keep thinking of redemptive suffering.  I hope there is something to it!