Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

Alexander & The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Remember that one? A children's book by author Judith Viorist. It goes something like this:

Alexander knew it was going to be a terrible day when he woke up with gum in his hair
And it got worse....


There was no dessert in his lunch bag, and on top of all that there were lima beans for dinner and kissing on T.V.....

It was a childhood favorite, and man is it hitting home for me today.

Today was my Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. It started in chaos. Julian has had a fever for several days and is teething. He goes through periods of inconsolable fits. He cries, arches his back, hits, and wails. He throws food and bites me when I try to nurse him. He is....a baby monster. Poor thing, I know it is because he is feeling poorly and has minimal ways to express this, but still it becomes rather unbearable.

Today was the first day of baseball camp for Zachary and day camp for Evan. The morning started in a frenzy trying to get everyone prepared and out the door for their various activities. I thought I had it all together. Lunches packed, clothing laid out, logistics arranged. Insert diabolical laughter here. I was so wrong. After breakfast Evan threw a tantrum of epic proportions. Why? He did not want to wear pants. Any pants. We had agreed on a pair of stylish shorts the night before. He picked them out himself at Target. They have an elastic waistband, no buttons, snaps or zippers that might bother him. WE AGREED ON THESE SHORTS. But no, this morning he decided he despised them, along with every other clean pair in his drawer, and the fit was insane. Crying, screaming, throwing things. It went on and on and on. Meanwhile Julian McFussy Pants was wailing at the top of his small, yet mighty lungs.

We barely made it out the door. The boys were deposited at camp. (Hallelujah!) But I was left with a teething baby. I noticed a rash had developed on his little chest and quickly made a doctor's appointment for late afternoon. After day camp (which ends at 12:45 for Evan) my middle child continued acting unreasonably, unruly and painfully annoying. He cried about this. He cried about that. He called me stupid. He hoped I would die. Blah Blah Blah Blah. I have been less than stellar with my response, screaming back at him with frustration. "STOP IT!" "BECAUSE I SAID SO!" "NO T.V. FOR FOREVER!!!" All kinds of useless counter-productive proclamations.

By 3:00 Julian seemed better, so I cancelled the doctor appointment. At 4:00 I picked up Zachary from baseball camp, hoping to find a chatty, excited, tired little champ, but instead I was greeted by an exhausted, crabby, hungry, crying little...brat. And Julian started bawling again. And Evan continued whining. And I wanted to get out of my car and hitch hike my way to Mexico.

It was a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

And it ain't over yet.