An Er-motional Day

So I actually got two little bursts of time at the computer today, by some strange miracle.  And while I definitely want to do posts about the museums and my P.T. (though the latter is less exciting), I couldn't help but first make a post about some of the crazy that this afternoon included.

In the words of Z, who makes me laugh with some of his misspoken words at just the right moments, "It's been an er-motional day!"

Most of today has been errand running.  A trip to Target for prescription refills.  A trip to Savers to donate a bunch of stuff (and then to browse for more stuff).  Running kids to and from places they need to be (football practice starts in 27 minutes).

But in there somewhere, we managed to really mess a few things up.  H and Z stayed home together during some of the afternoon errand-running -- they get bored of going places and it's easier for me to have a couple fewer kids with me.  They usually do alright at home, being 10 and 12.  They know all the rules about not cooking and not going outside and how to call for help if things go wrong.  I always have my cell phone on me, too, and they are frequently in touch with me this way, whether I want them to be or not.

There are these snacks I recently discovered.  I'm crazy about them.  The older boys like them, too.  They are Roasted Seaweed Snacks from Trader Joe's.  I like the plain version, but they also have a Wasabi version, which are that much better (as long as I have a drink nearby).  Very addictive and practically guilt-free!

Well, in the packages is a little pouch of silica beads (labeled, "do not eat") to keep the seaweed dry and while I was out picking up my niece, L, from school, I got a call from H, telling me that Z had decided to eat some of those beads after finishing up a pack of seaweed.  Z's excuse is that he thought it was salt (not sure why he'd want to eat salt by itself, but whatev-).  Regardless, I was freaking out a little bit that he was home ingesting some toxic poison and I couldn't really leave because L was going to be coming out in just a second.  I couldn't panic, because I had a lot of kids with me who are watching my every mood to adjust their reactions and behavior accordingly.

Meanwhile, my niece, N, was crying over some gummy fruits she felt like she should have later, even though she was full of them for now and the rest of the kids were finishing up the pack.  She was really overtired, but how to you rationalize that with a four-year-old?  Especially when they are overtired?

E started complaining about being in her car seat while we sat in the parking lot waiting for L.  So I hopped out of the driver's seat and around to the backseat on her side so I could talk to her and pop some melt-away puffs in her mouth to keep her satisfied for a few more minutes.  I was anxious to bring the girls home (L watches N and E until their mom comes home with K), because I wanted to get back to check on Z.  H said he spit most of them back out, so I was pretty sure things were going to be okay ... but I wasn't really certain.

When I saw L heading to the Suburban, I shut the door by E and motioned for L to get in on the other side while I walked around.  Then S, sitting in the front seat, very calmly said, "Ow, my thumb is stuck, Mama.  My thumb.  Please open the door."

I'd slammed the door on her thumb as she'd reclined back in her seat with her hand around the edges of her open window, sort of back over her head.  I quickly opened the door to release her thumb and she said, "It's okay, I think it's fine."  Meanwhile, I could see tears slowly welling up in her eyes as she repeatedly checked her thumb.

I dropped the girls off at their house and offered to get S some ice.  She refused and said she'd ice it at home.  I headed towards home and on the way, received news that our nieces' father had gone to urgent care.  He was having shortness of breath and coughing up some excessive stuff.  S joked that maybe she should go hang out there with him and I joked back (nervously) that I needed to get Z first because he might go with them.

For the superstitious, I've heard bad things happen in three's.  I'm not superstitious, but today, bad things did happen in three!

As soon as we got home, I grabbed an ice pack for S and then headed for the computer to look up silica beads and what happens when someone ingests them.  I was relieved to discover that Z would probably be fine (at least for whatever silica beads do to him) and that they are actually not toxic to humans!  Here's a good explanation for you if you ever wondered about those crazy little packs that come in seaweed snack boxes, purses, shoes and many other things.  Probably not a good idea to eat them, but aside from giving him an extra couple drinks of water to avoid chance of dehydration, I think he'll be fine.

S is worried she'll lose her thumbnail.  Always a possibility.  But for now, she's alright.  Her thumb is not dented any more.  It's not purple or swollen.  It's fine, but sore.  Fingers and thumbs are surprisingly resilient probably for good reason since they're easy to smash in things.

Okay, off to football practice ... let's hope for no more injuries or illnesses today!