the Lord giveth...and the Lord taketh away....

We have been going rather stir crazy around here since Christmas Day. Long periods being off-routine have never set well with me, and I just feel like I'm floating around, completely unorganized and off kilter. Kain had been begging me to take him to his most favorite place in the whole wide world, the McDonald's playland, so when I started getting that restless agitated feeling this morning I decided to take them for an early lunch. It was fun! Maria and Kain both found kids to play with. Jack was silly and giggly. I sat on the floor and he ran in dizzy circles around me until he would collapse on my lap for a big hug and kiss, then get up and do it all over again. I felt the stress drain and my brain fog clear up a bit...just the change of scenery was enough to make me feel more in control of things. Then it was time to leave. I gave a warning, told the kids we were leaving in 5 minutes. When I started gathering shoes, Kain started hanging on my shirt and crying that he didn't want to leave. This elevated to him continuing the (very loud) drama through the restaurant (where he decided he wanted the rest of his drink after all when he saw Maria had hers) and out into the parking lot where he flat out refused to get into the car, throwing a screaming fit the whole time. A very nice woman there with 4 or 5 kids of her own was nice enough to help me wrestle him in the car and lock the door...and even though she was nice and even joking about it, I was utterly humiliated. We drove the three blocks home with Kain shrieking in my ear and me trying my very best not to stop the car, drag him out to the side of the road, and leave him there shrieking at the trees. So much for the clearing brain fog.