"I don't know how to handle that!!"

It was a typical two-year-old temper tantrum - rare for our little girl, but totally normal for her age. Complete with kicking, screaming and crocodile tears.
She wanted to watch High School Musical (2, securely preserved on DVR with a "save until 2020 when kids go to college or otherwise manually erased" option).
No dice....it was time to take Big Sister to cheerleading practice.
The brouhaha ensued.
After a few moments, Hubby got her under control. His hand on her shoulders, his face inches from hers.
"I love you very much, but we need to leave for cheerleading."
Her response?
"I don't know how to handle that, I want to watch High School Musical!"



What have we gotten ourselves into??

The Dance

Twelve - no, thirteen? - weeks of being the only body required to get out of the house each morning has come to an end. School started for two of the kids this past Monday, and we haven't quite readjusted to the earlier wake-up call and amazing juggling act required to get FIVE bodies instead of ONE out the door each morning.
I swear, the coffee cannot brew fast enough!
Over the summer, I was somewhat jealous of my son who was often still asleep when I left, or Hubby and the kids taking a morning dip in the pool, or the extended morning snuggles in the Big Bed without me.
Now, I long for those days again. I long for the peaceful routine of brewing myself a cup of coffee and actually having time to enjoy it, taking a semi-leisurely shower, and styling my hair before work.
Instead.....
Feed the fish.
Feed the cat.
Feed the kids.
Pack one lunch.
Pack two snacks.
Remove two pull-ups.
Change one diaper.
Brush one set of teeth and check two others.
Brush two heads of hair and style the third.
Tie four shoes, if I can find matching pairs.
Find one binder.
Soothe several hurt feelings and fears about school.
Try to discuss important daily tasks with Hubby amid the chaos, usually fragments at a time.
And somewhere in that mix: caffeinate myself, grab a shower, and attempt to make my hair look like I didn't stick my finger in a socket before I leave for work.
[It doesn't look nearly as bad written here as it feels each morning. I swear!]

Somehow I don't think this is what Garth meant....

There is no such thing as sweet tea in Minnesota....

....but there IS some good ole Southern/Midwestern hospitality!!!!

The Bad Parts of Today
- The 3:45 AM wake-up call. (Yes, that first number is a three.)
- The US Marshal in Customs with booming drill-sargent voice at 8-something AM, informing me, "This is a federal inspection area. Turn! That! Cell! Phone! OFF!" (Whoops.)
- The bumpy, bumpy, bumpy flights. All three of them. Oh, my belly!
- The L-O-N-G travel day.

The Good Parts of Today
- I was rescued from the Longest Layover Ever by my PIM G and her 3 kids. We had a blast!!
- I am finally home. The thick smack of humid air that hit my body as the airport doors opened tonight was actually welcome.

Now for the details....
Although the "business" part of my business trip was completely worthless (and will be developed into another post once I sort through my thoughts), the time in Minnesota was fun! First we took a quick tour of Mall of America. The only place open was Starbucks....thank goodness! Still, I can now say I've been there. Then we drove back to G's house, went out to lunch at a really yummy wing place (which does not serve sweet tea, but that's OK), and I LEARNED TO SEW! I am very proud of this. We made two purses for my girls and a "boy bag" for my little guy. G took some pictures and promised to post them on her blog tomorrow. If you check them out, please remember the 3:45 wake-up call when you see my hair.....

I need a fakashin

(That's vacation, spelled phonetically by a six-year-old.)
I am currently on the Trip From Hell. Today's series of three flights began at o'dark thirty (6:10 AM) and took me through more airports than I care to see in a day.
The customs lady summed it up pretty well with her incredulous question, "You're here in Canada for less than two days?"
Yes ma'am.
I am finally checked into my hotel, waiting for room service.
And on the way back I leave at o'dark thirty again (this time 6:00 on the nose), yet don't return home until after 10 PM that night. Seven - count them, seven! - lovely hours at the Minneapolis airport. Then two more flights. (On the bright side....I'll be leaving the Airport Without Free Wireless for a few hours to visit with a friend.)
Ugh.
And when I logged into Delta this morning, I saw there are nine more itineraries for me over the coming few months. NINE.
Double ugh.
The last thing I want to be thinking about is planning another trip....but the kids really, really, really, really want to take an "airplane fakashin." So much so that it warranted a note officially requesting such, penned by the eldest but including all three signatures.
Actually, I wouldn't mind seeing snow this winter. I miss the seasons terribly! And I do have oodles of miles saved up.
The schools are giving a full week off for Thanksgiving this year. There's also two solid weeks around Christmas and New Years. Christmas will always be an "at-home" holiday for us....but as of the 26th... New Year's isn't really even a holiday in my book.
Hmmmmm......Jackson Hole, maybe? Rocky Mountains? Dakota?