A Tale of Two Perspectives

Friday was Day One of the First (and Certainly Not the Last Because Mama's Memory Sucks) Thelma & Louise 4-day Surprise Vacation! Mama had neglected to remember that Friday was a PD Day, and with Family Day coming on Monday, the girls are (after a little last-minute client shuffling) on their own and up to no good for four whole days.

It's always the same. The thought of several uninterrupted days to spend with my daughter usually begins with me giddly planning all sorts of fun adventures, followed by E waking up and proceeding to whine and complain the ever-loving will to live right out of my soul, followed by mama losing her schmidt before losing her pyjamas in either a  sloppy pool of tears (which elicits sympathy) or in a haze of whine/yelling while attempting valiantly not to have her words laced with profanity (which elicits admonition from a 3-year old...humiliating).

But when I look back on our day yesterday, I realize that there are two very different pictures I can paint for you. And if I can use such deftly artistic brushstrokes with the blog, why not with my memory that is already so shot full of holes that it will hardly be calling out any discrepancies? So here goes:

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Friday: Glass Half Empty

I decide that E and I are going to start the morning out taking Ralph for a nice long walk, followed by some sledding, and maybe spend the afternoon baking Whoopie Pies. It's going to be SO. MUCH. FUN!!! When I hear my darling's voice, I rush into her room to inform her of my plans. What follows includes the following statements, delivered with her meticulously honed whine that is has been fine tuned to the precise decibel that elicits involuntary hysteria in her mother:

Naawwwwwhhh. I don't waaannnnt to do thaaaaat....
I'm hungry. I want a snaaaaaack...
Nooo...don't get my cloooothes. I don't waaaant clothes...I want to stay in my pyjaaaaamaaaas...
Pout, pout, spaghetti body, kick, kick, moooooaaaaannnnnnn....


I acquiesce, telling her she can keep her pyjamas on, we don't have to get dressed right away, and that we'll go downstairs and get her some breakfast.

I don't waaaaaant breakfast! I want a snaaaaack!


Call it what you want, let's go get it.

But I want to plaaaaaaaay!


You can play while I'm making you breakfast a snack.

Caaaaaarrrry me...


I can't carry you because I'm carrying my coffee and a glass....

Nooooooooo....I want you to CAAAAARRRRYYYY MEEEE!!!


You know, to be honest, the rest is really a blur. At some point, I started crying and she wiped my tears and she never did end up getting dressed and we never did actually leave the house at any point.

The End.

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Friday: Glass Half Full of Awesomesauce!


It was just us girls yesterday, and we broke all the rules! E stayed in her pyjamas all day and mama didn't even take the dog for a walk. I mean, who has time for all the boring stuff when our day was chock full of R&R!!! I introduced E to the "facial steam" with hand picked essential oils, followed by a custom pedicure (left foot yellow, right foot pink). Her new Chirp magazine came in the mail and we created an All About Me book, complete with glitter glue! She helped me make omelettes for dinner and we chased each other around the house about 46 times before bathtime! We "washed" the tub together to make ourselves feel productive, and even read an extra-long, extra story before bedtime.

I can't wait to see what's in store for tomorrow!

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See what I did there? Everything is true, it's just a matter of what gets emphasized, right? So I choose to say that I had an AWESOME day yesterday and you know what? Today has been EVEN BETTER!  I can't even imagine how to write a crappy version of today so far. 

I was forced to bake Whoopie Pies with E, then watch her dance, then we had to go to my friend's house and drink her delicious coffee and eat her delectable french toast with whoopie pies for dessert. Then I had to drive home with a cheerful toddler and put her down for a nap while I sat on the couch and blogged.

Life is good.