Tantrums

    Today I had a mommy tantrum.  I was on my way home from the bookstore with my kids, which for me is like Disneyland, and was finally fed up with all the arguing and screaming.  I told my kids to shut their mouths and when that didn't work I cranked up the Christmas music to blaring and just listened.  Kolin had a great time because he loves to rock out and the boys cried for a few minutes about it hurting their ears and then quited down.  Mommy does not do this often, so obviously it was important to pay attention. 
    This week is one of the hardest of the year for me.  It is the week that Chad hosts a basketball tournament at Canyon and is gone virtually from Monday at 7am to Saturday night around 8:30/9pm.  He pops home to sleep and says a quick hi to the boys (and feeds the animals in the morning because I never remember) and then is gone again.  Today is day 5 of the tournament.  Day 5 is when I have pretty much lost my sanity and my blood pressure is at a constant boil racing through my veins.  Today I opened a bottle of wine, even though I don't really drink and wine would never be first on my list of drinks, I thought it would be safer that way. 
    Of course my children scent a wounded animal like wild animals, so this morning started out with the big 3 playing instead of coming down to eat breakfast, me yelling at them to put shoes on, brush teeth, etc...and coalescing with apple juice being spilled on the floor.  After feeling the vein pop out on my forehead we all piled in the car and dropped off Cade and Cam.  Have I ever expressed my undying love for Early Bird Preschool drop off?  Oh my how I love it and it makes my day so much better.  If only I could afford the extra $150 a month to drop my boys off every day early, sigh. 
   Anyways, after the C's drop off the K's and I went to Target.  I needed gift cards for teacher Christmas gifts, stocking stuffers for Chad and surprisingly jeans for Cade because 3 pairs have gone missing.  While we were in the boy section I thought I'd be sly and grab underwear and socks for Cam and Kel for their stockings, but Kel wanted his underwear NOW!!!!  I thought I'd be smart and say they were for a child that needed them.  That's when he threw himself on the ground and started screaming that he needed new underwear. 
    Now I am one of those annoying moms who totally ignores her screaming child and has been known in the past to completely walk away.  Kel once did this in the Walmart produce section.  He was on one end and I was on the other getting the fruits I needed when I realized that an older couple were getting the store manager because they thought he was lost.  I had to go over and tell them that he was having a tantrum.  I am not neglectful, but really what do you do?  I was tempted to backhand him when he hit me in the back trying to get my attention, but instead I yelled at him to get a hold of himself and then walked away.  That kid followed me around Target for a good 20 minutes crying and screaming.  Have I mentioned that Target is my happy place?  He was ruining my happy place!  Finally I couldn't take it anymore.  I told him to take 2 deep breaths and then to count to 10.  He told me he didn't know how to count to 10 (heart melting at that cute little voice) and I told him to count to 5 two times.  We took our deep breaths together and then counted to 5 two times.  Then I told him to state his case.  He told me he really wanted and needed new underwear.  I told him that acting like he was would never get him what he wanted and he needed to argue his case if he wanted something, not fall to the ground.  After explaining that we went back to where I had taken the underwear out of my cart and picked up the ones he wanted.  I know I gave in on those underwear, but I guess I picked my battle.  He didn't get tv for the rest of the day, so he did get a punishment, but really anyone who has that big of a fit over underwear really deserves them.