The Fair ....
*Disclaimer: probably a TMI post , but hey, a mom is writing this blog, soooo........
There's that moment that mom's have at some point in their mom-hood (who am i kidding - more like that moment that happens weekly...or just every day ) when you say to yourself, "maybe this wasn't such a good idea...." It usually IS a great idea and you always have the best intentions and expectations for how something is going to turn out..... but because life is life, curve balls come! That moment hit me yesterday morning as I was lost in the middle of no where while peeing into a cup on the side of the road as inconspicuously as possible as my kids sat in the their car seats asking for the cinderella movie to be turned on, for more cinnamon toast crunch, another juice, and singing the baby shark song on repeat....
let me set the scene for ya a bit - li'l Joe is part of an awesome group here in town called "We Got The Beat". He practices and learns about percussion weekly and then performs with his group at different events. I am amazed and so proud of him!!!! (give me just a sec to shed a happy mom tear ...). this weekend they had the opportunity to play at Caruthers Fair which is about 30 min south of us. Daddy was working so mom had this one (insert strong bicep emoji here ). I packed the kids up, wagon, snacks, and ipad for emergency meltdowns were in tow. We got going and I was pretty proud of myself for following the non GPS directions (specific to getting to a certain part of the fair)..... until I realized I missed a few turns. I had been driving for about 45 min (had to also fill gas tank) and was still not at the fair... and I had to pee.... REALLY BADLY. I knew I wasn't going to find the fair, find parking, get Joseph to his group, and then find a potty, get all the littles out of the wagon and into a fair bathroom before I ended up with a UTI from holding it so long, so I pulled over , found an old sippy cup (that I have since thrown away) , and did what I had to do.
After that I called Li'l Joe's teacher, figured out how to get to the fair, paid $10 to park in someones driveway, put all the kids in that wagon, and off we went! the performance went beautifully, the girls had an amazing time, and Lij and I cuddled ( the people and clapping and noise was a little much). we did a few more potty runs for the kids that involved me introducing myself to We Got The Beat families so that I could leave my load of backpacks, wagon and snacks with them while I ran little people to the potty ( all the while popping skittles so my blood sugar wouldn't drop from all the sun and walking ).
I am So thankful for the kindness of people. I am always blown away by the willingness of people to help when help is needed. I had to get over a long time ago the idea of asking for help or coming across as "needy". Well, the reality of it all is that we need help sometimes - help can't be given unless those around you know you need it - so don't be afraid to ask.
Trust that if someone can't help, they'll let you know, and trust that if they can, they will with all sincerity and joy.
There was momentary disappointment when I had to explain to the littles that we couldn't stay at the amazing fair to do all the amazing things (cause going headfirst into a crowd of thousands of fair goers with four little people IS MY LIMIT). We came home to decompress and play quietly in our rooms while the Instapot made dinner (thank you Jesus for Instapot... and for my mom who gifted it to me for Christmas!... and for sesame street - thank you Jesus for youtube episodes of sesame street).
It was all worth it to watch Little Joe's face light up after he accomplished an amazing performance. It was worth it to watch him connect and be silly with new friends. It was worth it to watch my girls bond while playing and watching their big bro. It was worth it to be able to cuddle and comfort Lij in a new environment, knowing that every time we go out, he's learning how to navigate and be ok in new environments. It would have been ok if we stayed home, and it was ok that we went. Either way, we're learning, growing, and connecting.
I don't do very well living too far in the future. I often tell people, " I don't live day by day, I live second by second, cuz sometimes that's as much as I can handle, and that's ok". Living in the moment, going with flow, and taking the curve balls of life is what it’s all about. Life is crazy, and I have a feeling it always will be. I'm ok with that, and I'm ready to roll with whatever comes next.... after I take a quick nap.