Maddening Monday

It was one of those days...that could have been wonderful--the sun was out and it was warm enough that I found myself carrying three jackets under my arm on our way from the Recreation Center to our car; but alas, come noon you could have stuck a fork in me--I was done! 
It felt like an off day for my kids and I... I might have been a little more irritable than usual, my daughter was crazier than usual and my son...my son...was just crazy. I guess these descriptions are all very vague, aren't they? Well, just to give you an example of each: I started out saying, "No," when my son turned the knob on the gas burner (while I was cooking, not on his own)...but ended up screaming it; my daughter constantly argued with me, raised her voice and, perhaps, was just too excited about her first ballet class to be still or follow directions; and my son...my son...wanted to be carried all the time, down the stairs in our own house and wherever we were in public. If I didn't, or if I sat down with him instead, he'd scream without shame and follow after me screaming all the while. 
I had spent the greater part of the morning reminding my daughter to speak nicely, not argue, listen listen listen, follow directions, and be respectful. Once we had gotten to the Recreation Center and dropped her off at her ballet class, my son and I spent the next 45 minutes either in the lobby or waiting for her in the hallway, which was probably what had done me in that morning. This boy of mine, just two months shy of officially being in his "Terrible Two's", stomped, screamed, whined, pointed his finger at me while saying, "Nnnnnn-o!" and didn't calm down until an elderly Asian lady said to him, "Uh-oh, shhh. Be a good boy!" Only then did he seem to feel any remorse, or at least a shade of embarrassment. 
I, on the other hand, felt ten shades of appalled. 
When we got home, I fed the kids lunch and rushed them to bed for a nap. We all needed a nap. And when we got up a couple of hours later, I had to hurl myself out of bed so that we could do some Skill Building activities before I needed to cook dinner. What I really wanted to do was lay there and enjoy a nice spring evening...in bed, but I felt compelled to end the day on a productive note, so I lured myself up with the thought of checking off "Skill Building" from our schedule. 
I'm determined to figure out how to communicate with my son. I'm determined to have a better day tomorrow.
And after having a talk with my daughter before she went to bed, pointing out her behavior today and asking how we can change it tomorrow, I think my kids and I may have a shot ;)