the one in which i face the facts of my new normal

today: lunch, with my cute friend linda, who is 18 and off to college in two weeks. as usual, it doesn't go the way i plan.

between getting there late, an entire container of yogurt getting knocked over onto the table, a full bottle of apple juice tipped over moments later, ruby devouring a cupcake, a disaster zone under ruby's high chair, 4500 used napkins on our table (thanks to all of our spills), the yogurt and cupcake residue from ruby's hands on my sweater, m's inability to listen (yes, i know she is deaf, but she can hear me & is ignoring me with delight) and running all over the restaurant, climbing up onto the edge of a fountain, taking off her shoes three different times, two trips to the potty, a temper tantrum over the flavor of yogurt, m inadvertently knocking me off balance while i was kneeling and holding ruby so i fell flat on my butt on a busy sidewalk, and tripping while trying to grab my toddler from climbing into the fountain,

it struck me yet again-

it is utterly impossible to maintain one's grace, cool, and clean clothing with a one and three year old in tow. i'm rumpled, weary, stained, and frazzled. i try to fool myself into thinking, "today was just crazy" and then when i think about it? every day is crazy like that. that's called normal.