Tomorrow Is Another Day

Well, I missed another "Not Me! Monday" it seems.

It might have something to do with the fact that, both Hun and my brother decided to go out of town for the entire day Sunday, leaving my sister-in-law, seven kids and myself to fend for ourselves.

(because, spending the entire past two weeks with the kids was not enough...)

Well, my Mother came up with the "brilliant" idea, for us all to spend the day TOGETHER. (I believe the word "together" was tossed about, just a wee bit too casually.)

My parents are working on landscaping on their recently reconstructed home, and thought they might find some great ideas at the Botanical Gardens.

So my mother suggested that she take So in her car with my Dad, while my SIL and I drive in one eight seater van with all the other kids, to save us an extra parking fee, and we would meet there.

Two nursing women and seven children between us - take a wild guess how this turned out.

By the time we got there, and nursed our babies in unison in the van, and met up with my parents and So, Maa and Dad were ready to head for Bonsai or Peonies or Magnolias or Dutch Elm or something like that, but it seems it was now lunch time.... so the Grandparents were off and it was time for two nursing women to feed the older kids...

...while nursing.

When everyone finished eating (or nursing), we subjected ourselves to torture a forty minute tram ride through "this garden", "that garden", and of course, "the other garden". And watched as our tram almost ran down two unsuspecting senior citizens who happened to be my parents.

That was as much as we saw of them while we were there, and as TOGETHER as we got.

The motion of the tram put the infants to sleep and the tram conductor who droned on about Dutch Elm Disease put the rest of us to sleep.

And to keep Ate from jumping out of the tram, I had to bribe him with an upcoming treat, and had to make the same offer to the rest of the kids, resulting in the purchase of ice cream which costs more for a scoop than I ever spent on a 1/2 gallon.

But while they ate ice cream, two babies nursed. And then the Grandparents called, asking for So, because they actually SAW some botany and were ready to go home. And we went off to meet them, but not before the kids could run up and down some stone steps that also had them ruining the pictures of a lovely bride and groom who were posing on those stone steps.

And after we sent So off with my parents and returned to our ONE van, guess what we did.

Damn straight, nursed some more.

But this could not possibly have been enough self torture for one day. We then decided to go out to eat with all the kids, at which time, my SIL's brother and wife and a whole bunch of kids, including, yet another infant - showed up to the same eatery. And we all sat in 3 booths near each other, causing chaos to ensue. Because 7 overtired children and 2 famished nursing women is not enough to wreak havoc, we were excited to add another four children and another famished nursing woman to the mix. At least there was actually ONE husband there now. (Or one more child, depending on your personal view.)

It seems.............I survived.

And the cherry on top - today was the first day of

CAMP!!!

It's funny now, but the last two weeks are a blur.
And yesterday is a distant memory.
And I am looking forward to tomorrow.