It's Monday!! (You need to grab a cup of coffee and stay a while!)

On Monday's we leave the house around 8am to get Mackenzie to Kings. Then we try to kill an hour or so until Madi has OT. So we went to Trader Joes. We were in and out (with the exception of the potty trip. We must visit the potty at every establishment we embark on) Our cashier gave the girls a balloon. And they both said "thank you!!" Things were going well.

So we head to therapy where it's very fun corralling a 3 year old and a 1 year old for an hour. But today was milestone day at therapy. Madi walked back with Ms Nicole BY HERSELF!!! This calls for a celebration!! I mean for a year she has been screaming, grabbing, pulling my hair, etc every time we go.

So after therapy we head over to Walmart in Alpharetta. Silly me, I was thinking that since it's in Alpharetta it would be nicer than normal. Wrong! We went in and went potty, of course. Then we try to find a cart that will fit three kids in it. Um, apparently people in Alpharetta only have one child. So I finally give up and put them in a normal cart only to find I have left the list in the car. So I cart them out to get it. On the way back in, I notice one lonely cart outside over in the corner that I could fit all three of them in. However, it has been raining here for two days. So I wipe it off as best I can but it's still soaking wet. So I head inside and ask the lady at the door if she has any paper towels to wipe it off. She looks as though I have interrupted a very important conversation in her mind. But does give me the paper towels (read: doesn't help me!)and we're off. They actually did surprisingly well for being so close to lunchtime. There was only minimal bickering and begging.

We head up to the cashier where she proceeds to argue with me that I will need another cart. What am I going to do with another cart? She insists on getting one and by the time she gets back, I have it all up on the belt. And it all fit nicely in my cart. She commented on the kids and then asked me if I would like the groceries bagged lightly. I said yes since the kids would be helping me bring them up when we got home. Apparently she misheard. Every bag was double bagged and very heavy. Um, thanks!

Since they had done so well at Walmart, I told them we would go to Chick-fil-A. We headed over to the one on N Point Pkwy. Big mistake. The parking lot was packed but I saw a ton of people going in and getting it to go, so I thought maybe inside was ok. After getting everyone out, changing a diaper, almost getting nailed in the parking lot because apparently in Alpharetta you don't stop for a pedestrian with three kids, we walk in the door and there is not one table open. So we leave and go to the one on Hwy 9. Crowded but not obscene. We ate and played for a min in the cold, windy weather on the the wet, germy equipment. Then we disinfected, went potty (I told you, everywhere!) and left.

Minor screaming on the way home, not too big of a deal. When we got home, Leah was asleep so while I brought the groceries up, she screamed and screamed and screamed. The child does not wake up peaceful. So finally we had all the groceries to the playroom. Then we started to bring them up to the kitchen. Everything's going fine. And then Madison gets the pickles out and says, "Can I put these in the fridge?" Before I know what has happened, the pickles (that have texas pete added)and the glass are all over the floor. So I calmly picked Madison and Leah up and got the glass off of them and put them out of the kitchen. They were given instructions to keep Vivian out. So while I was cleaning up, a fight ensued because Vivian was trying with all her might to get to me. And at some point she had started getting groceries out too because all of a sudden Madi is screaming that Vivian dropped a can on her foot. I honestly wanted to run away. But I didn't. I got the rest of the glass off the floor, put Vivian in the bed and went to tend to Madi. And those of you who have girls understand. Whenever there is blood, no matter how minuscule, it's an all out emergency. I need a bandaid NOW!!!!!!!

All of this and I still had to go back out to Publix. So when Vivian got up from her nap and screamed "SHAKE IT!!!!" for an hour, I decided we would go ahead and go finish our shopping. What it "shake it?" Well, when you're 16 months old and you're still getting a bottle, you are aware that the bottle has to be shaken before you can have it. And for the last month or so, that's what she has called it. Today is day seven of no bottle. And she is hostile!! Only after nap time is it a really big deal. But she will scream for hours and nothing helps. Except getting out. So we drove to Publix and got the rest of our shopping done. God bless the deli ladies who gave us several pieces of turkey because I am such a mean mother and they clearly hadn't eaten all day. And we will not be having Chicken Marsala this week because after standing in the wine aisle for 10 minutes with my kids trying to knock down all those pretty bottles, my sweet husband tells me that Marsala wine is another area of the store for cooking wine.

So here it is 8:40 and I am looking back at my day. And I am SOOOOOO thankful that God helped me get up early and start the day in His word. Because if I hadn't started there today, who knows where I would be.