Thursday Thoughts

That's right, I'm back for another Thursday Thoughts link-up with Ramblings of a Suburban Mom!  This one is special edition, though.  It's my "I just chaperoned a field trip for preschoolers along with my gimpy hubby" edition.  Lots of thoughts? Oh yes.  Let's get this party started.

- Why did I even agree to chaperone this trip?  Oh yes, because I have a preschooler, I am a stay-at-home-mom (can't use work as an excuse), and I really was kind of excited to see this place.  It was one of those play places for little ones (little as in anyone over 8 would probably be bored) with lots of sensory activities like water tables, pulleys, a "car mechanic" shop, a big fire truck to climb on, and toy train tracks.  And every area was pimped out (I'm sure there's a better way to phrase that, but I'm tiiiiired) beyond belief.  One water table?  Oh no, it was a multi-level area with pulleys, waterfalls, buckets, boats, and little aprons to keep the kids (partially) dry.  And I'm so proud, Dragon only tried to drink the water 5 times. *sigh*

- I loved having my hubby along, and we were both thrilled that he was able to go with us.  (His job is giving him some time off to heal and be with us, his loving family. heh.)  HOWEVER.  If you have a broken foot, and are presented with the opportunity to go on any sort of outing with preschoolers, just take it from me that it is NOT A GOOD IDEA.  You see, due to his speech/communication delays, Dragon is one of the more difficult children in his class.  His teachers have enough on their hands dealing with the kids outside of the classroom environment, without also having to constantly redirect Dragon when he gets frustrated.  That's why I go along.  So it just made things harder to keep Dragon focused and moving while also trying to make sure the hubster had his crutches, was ready to move on when we went to the next area, and was not in danger of being bowled over by a roving mob of exuberant toddlers.

- School bag lunches are crap these days.  I'm sorry, but when I was in elementary school and we went on field trips, the lunches that the school provided were AWESOME.  Chips, cookies, real peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, soda, etc.  Oh, I know it wasn't the healthiest, but there was never even a scrap of leftover food!  Guess what these kids got?  Well, there was a sandwich.  But no real bread, they use those round, flat little things.  And then they covered it in huge mounds of soy butter.  It tasted fine to me, but trust me, not one kid touched it.  Carrot sticks and pineapple bits finished the meal, with standard paper cartons of milk to drink.  I'll let you tell me how much of that stuff Dragon will actually eat.  Did I hear a "zero"?  Yeah, exactly.  I love my baby, but he hates fruits and veggies.   And while I am continually trying to have him try them, it was definitely not happening today.  Thankfully, I had packed some extras for him in my lunch (goldfish crackers, cheese, and turkey slices), so he had a good meal.  And I took home the carrot sticks and pineapple for snacks for Knight later.  The sandwich, amazingly enough, found a home in my hubby's belly.  Guess I might be buying some soy butter soon!

- I think the parents were more exhausted than the kids by the end of the day.  And of course, the little rugrats got to pass out on the bus on the way home (and thankfully, they let us just sign Dragon out and drive him home in our car).  I, however, had to drive.  Booooo.  Which is why, at 10:00 PM, I am heading to bed!  Big day tomorrow!  I get to drive my hubby to work!  Thankfully, I'm just dropping him off, one of his friends has offered to bring him home. Yay!  So I get to come home and tackle the giant mounds of laundry that have been breeding overnight in the baskets (Well, where do you think those extra socks come from?).  I know, aren't you just jealous of my cosmopolitan lifestyle?

-  Sometimes I think I come across as whiny and annoyed/dismissive of my life.  I hope you understand that it's mostly just my writing style (dry, sarcastic, and let's not forget the impeccable grammar).  I love my life, I understand that I'm both lucky and blessed, and I'm well aware that most of the things I complain about are first-world problems.  That's why I love this blog for letting me get stuff like this off my chest.  And I like to think that at least a few of you are like "hey great, here's a mom that doesn't pretend that a field trip with her kid is all sunshine and rainbows!"  That's right.  Because it's all fun and games til your kid tries to drink from the water table.

How was your Thursday?