please tell me you have one

we all have a McDonald's play area horror story, right? please tell me yes.

Mine was Saturday. McD's had $2 happy meals on Saturdays in the month of June, so since Steve was somewhere across Iowa doing an improv show, I decided to take the kids for happy meals, bring my book, and let them play in the play area.

When we arrived the play area was full, so we had to eat in the restaurant part (phew!) and THEN go play. We went up to order and the lady in front of us was just awful. She was bickering about not wanting to pay for the fries since blah blah blah, and the worker said "ma'm, they FELL OUT OF THE BAG. If you want a new bag, I"ll get you a new bag, but the fries are low salt just like you asked." or something ridiculous like that. The customer was so crabby, yelling at her daughter, crabbing about the fries, etc.

Next we placed our order. Three happy meals (including all the details), and a number 8 please.

We all got our drink cups, etc, and headed over to fill them. We went back to the counter, waited a bit more, and a bit more. The kids were just waiting patiently while thier happy meals sat on the counter, and the lady finally yelled to the back "this lady is waiting patiently for her chicken sandwich! let's go guys, how much longer???"

She informed me that I'd have to wait at least 5 more minutes for my CRISPY chicken, but could have grilled instead, right away, if I wanted. I said I'd wait for the crispy one, because if you're eating at McDonald's anyway, you might as well go all out. :) So she said she bring it out to me, with some fresh fries too. And I said "okay great," because if you're eating at McDonalds anyway, you might as well go all out. :)

and THEN this other lady comes in with her kids and orders burgers, etc, but no happy meals. so the worker lets her know that she'd be better off getting happy meals bc they're on sale. So she goes into this HUGE thing about not wanting the happy meal toys, and they go back and forth and back and forth about the toys and the old toys and no toys and different toys and toys toys toys. So finally she has the lady go to the back and find old mermaid toys, because they can at least play with those in the bathtub. Meanwhile, her kids are totally freaking out, and she's being "such a good parent" and letting us all know how good she is by parenting REALLY LOUDLY.

So, by this point, I'm just feeling really proud of myself and my kids for being so awesome. :)

Our food came, and we ate it, and we went inside the play are to just waste some time before Daddy got home. I got my book out, tuned out the 7 or 8 year old kids (everyone else had left except for those two) that were screaming in the tunnel things, and started reading. Brielle doesn't really play in that stuff, she just runs around at the bottom of it all, and maybe yells up the slides or something. So occasionally I'd just peek up and make sure she's okay.

So I'm reading my book, and can't get past the thought that I smell manure (Maria and Mel, think cake pick up). Now, if I were in OC, I'd just assume that the farmers were spreading or something. But since I'm in the middle of Omaha, where there are no cows around, I assume that it's one of the kids. But it can't be Brielle, because she's my once-a-day-pooper, and she'd already pooped. And it's CERTAINLY not Lillian or Josiah, because they would have told me. So then I think it must be the big kids, who played some sick joke and took a crap in the slide or something. But giving them the benefit of the doubt, I check Brielle's diaper. So I lift her dress and peek in the back of her diaper. pure white. I also notice that one of her butt cheeks is sticking out, so I grab her diaper and pull it out, and hope that it's not one of my other kids.

The other family calls their kids over (probably to check their pants) and I carry on reading my book. That family gets their stuff ready to leave, and I realize I'm getting whiffs of poop with every page turn. I finally realize that it's my HAND that smells like manure. I think about my recent action of pulling Brielle's diaper out of her cheeks, and my eyes dart around trying to find her. And then I found her. She was playing in the bottom of the yellow slide...covered in poop. Poopy socks, poopy dress, poopy inside of her dress, poopy slide, poopy everything.

I whisperingly FREAK OUT and tell Lillian to go get me some napkins. I didn't even bring a diaper bag or diapers and wipes, because Brielle already pooped, so I just KNEW she wouldn't go again. I send her out to get napkins, and she comes back with like five. NOT ENOUGH to clean up the slide. So I wipe with five napkins and whisper yell for Lillian to get more, while shushing Josiah as he yells "BRIELLE POOPED ON THE SLIDE?????" Lillian comes back with more, and I wrap the dirty ones in a clean one and shove it in my purse with the inside out, totally covered in poop, socks. yes, in my purse. It was mostly just smearing around the slide, until Josiah slides RIGHT through it, covering his backside with almost all the rest of the poop. So I freak out again, and take Josiah's poopy socks off and shove THOSE in my purse too, desperate to get the HECK out of there.

So I finally get the poop mostly wiped up, and get the guts up to go tell the lady about it (all that pride from before was OUT THE DOOR! I think I learned my lesson). and suddenly, out of NOWHERE, a little boy comes racing down the slide. So I had to tell him to NOT go down the slide again until they clean it, probably totally freaking this kid out to have this frazzled lady approach him like that. So I go tell the lady, and decide to wait for her to get the stuff so I can show her where, and assure her that it's not all the way up the slide or anything. But she's taking FOREVER so we decide to make a run for it. After all, I had two poopy kids now and HAD to go. HAD to. But first I had to tell the dad of the kid I spooked in the play area waht I siad to his kid and why. And it was all very embarrassing.

So we get to the van, and I stip Brielle, but still don't know what to do, because she's still full of poop, and her diaper is nasty, and I don't have anything with me. So I search the van and find ONE diaper on the floor. Since I didn't have any wipes, I couldn't CHANGE her, so I just strapped the clean diaper over the dirty one, quite lopsidedly, since that's where the poop was, and buckled her in.

We finally made it home and I stripped Josiah down and threw all the poopy stuff in the washer, and threw the wad of napkins into the garbage, wondering the whole time why my daughter's poop smells like COW poop instead of kid poop. She went straight to the bath, and I scrubbed her and scrubbed her, until I was positive there was nothing left on her.

I survived the experience, barely, but I'm not so sure that I'll be headed back in there any time soon.

Pretty please leave a comment telling me your story. Please. I'm NOT the only one, I know it. and it does NOT mean we're bad moms if our kids poop places, or if we don't carry extra diapers and wipes.....RIGHT??????

in search of summer: Josiah

Back to my "in search of summer" posts, here are a few of my favorite summery shots of the J-Man.

sweaty curls...love 'em. :)


making daddy hold the popsicle bc it's melting too fast. yay for heat!


terrible photography, but I just love that he can barely see because the SUN finally came out! Here he is on his "new" (to him) bike.


yay for summer!

problem free weekend! yay!

so, not only did the week end without any more expensive problems, but it even got better and better all the way through the weekend!

On Friday was Lillian's graduation, so it was fun to have some extra family around for the day. On Saturday we had a day to get some stuff done, and had a fun evening at our friends' house, grilling out and watching the kids play. Highlight of the night for the kids--trying to soak their parents (or their friends' parents)with water balloons! (somehow I managed to stay dry. I must have perfected my "don't even think about it" face) :)

Sunday after church Steve's mom came up, and the two of us headed off to Ankeny for an improv show. We stopped for supper at my friends' parents house, and indulged in the best leftovers EVER--burgers (like, freaking awesome ones), chips, watermelon, and a salad. It was SO good!

After that my friend Andrea and I went to the improv show. It's not very often that I get a chance to watch the improv shows anymore, so it was fun. And then after THAT we went back to the house for some rhubarb crisp. yum.

Steve's mom was so great to spend the night with the kids so we could stay overnight in Des Moines. We debated doing it for a few minutes, and then in an INSTANT realized we needed to. Ya know, we sat there thinking about all the money we had to spend lately, and the fact that I didn't have any income for the month of May, and all the other "money" thoughts that so easily bombard our minds. And then it was like someone schmucked me over the head. If we make it work to spend money on other things that need upkeep and improvements, WHY wouldn't we see our marriage as something worth spending a little money on as well? We don't do it very often (we hope for a couple times a year) and thanks to priceline.com, we even got a great deal (just over half price) for a nice room at a nice place. And it was definitely worth it.

We didn't really even do that much, ya know? we watched Dear John while trying desperately not to fall asleep during what could be the MOST BORING thing I've ever paid money for ever, thinking that a nice little romance movie would be great for the date. nice idea, but it just didn't work with that movie. holy moly. Don't watch it. Thankfully we got it PPV, so as soon as the credits rolled we could give in to our sleepiness.

And on Monday we slept in til like 10 and then had an early lunch at the Cheesecake factory (always a treat bc it reminds us of the summer we were engaged and working in Rhode Island, and went on a few dates to Providence and ate there). And sitting there in the Jordan Creek Cheesecake Factory, I experienced a bit of heaven, by the name of AVOCADO EGGROLLS. Seriously people, I'm going to start a weekly "meeting" for something I have yet to think of at the Cheesecake Factory here. And each week I will scrounge around and find ten bucks for the best appetizer EVER. Avocados, sun dried tomatoes, cilantro, and onion, all wrapped up in a fried eggroll shell thing.

After that we did a bit of shopping. Sounds nice, but it was a bit stressful for this shopping-hater. I had a mini panic attack upon entering the mall, but survived the day and even bought a few things. I had to call my sister to find out if I'm allowed to shop in places like Forever 21 or Wet Seal. Seriously...am I too old for those stores? Will I find anything I would even consider wearing in there? She told me that if I want to be cool I can shop in there. Too bad I didn't find anything to buy though. I guess that confirms that I'm not cool. too bad. But thank goodness for Ann Taylor Loft, and even more for a 40% off the whole store sale for Memorial Day. (Because clearly, the men who gave their lives for our freedom did it so we can memorialize them by shopping.) So anyway, I got a couple items that get me a couple days more before saying "I don't have ANYTHING to wear!" but that's the way it is...

So after shopping, we had a lovely drive back. I love driving with Steve, just for the chance to sit and talk, and click through all this millions of songs on the ipod til I get to one that I recognize. It was very much in my mind that day that there are so many wives now widowed because of the sacrifice their husbands made. And I know I've said it before, but I'm SO THANKFUL that there are men and women out there who feel called to serve our country. And SO THANKFUL that my husband is not one of them. I'm specifically thinking of Jessica and Natalie right now (who probably don't even read this blog), but I'm sure I know more military wives as well. You women amaze me, and I'm so grateful for the sacrifices your families go through, so that we can live the way we do.

We ended the day with supper with Carla and some shopping for the kids (THANKS, GRANDMA!).

so, my wish came true for no more problems,for the rest of the week AND the weekend. I am feeling so blessed. :)

my graduate

isn't she lovely? I'm so proud. :)





Since I only have a fixed lens for my camera, and my point and shoot didn't like the lighting, I have ZERO pictures from the actual ceremony. So afterward I had her put on a few of her "props" and snapped a few pictures. :)





and then we found a few of her favorite people to remember from High Five:

Lillian with Luke, who we heard and awful lot about through the year. "he's very nice and he is really kind to me, and he makes really good choices." :)


the three musketeers: Lillian, Gianna, and Alyssa


her Tues/Thurs teacher, Mrs. Hill


getting a hug from her Mon/Wed/Fri teacher, Mrs. Williams


Mrs. Williams again. she told Judy, "Here's one I'm really going to miss. She's a special girl. She's one to watch...she's gonna be something." I couldn't agree more. :)


I have never for one single day regretted keeping Lillian in High Five instead of sending her to kindergarten. She's had such GREAT teachers, and her class was so small and the kids were so great. I met some other great moms, and best of all, Lillian got to go to a place where God was glorified in everything they did. I feel so blessed that she was a part of this program.

I can't believe that nine months ago she'd never been to school, ever. And starting next year, she'll be there all day every day for the next 13 years. oh my gosh...wasn't she just born????

problems...

it's been a problem filled week at the Hydeens....

First of all, the washer had been leaking for quite some time, and I finally just googled Omaha appliance repair and had someone come look at it. It's not something that I'm used to yet, living in Omaha- calling some random person that you don't know and don't know anyone else who knows them either, inviting them into my house where my children are, while Steve's at work. It gives me sort of a funny feeling, but it had to be done.

So the guy from All Appliance shows up and checks out the washer and says "um...how much do you like your washer?" and I say "um...why? do we need a new one?" and he tells me that the leak can be fixed, but that's not really the biggest problem. and that to fix it all would cost over 300 bucks and then we'd still have a really old washer. So I asked him what to do about billing, and about buying a new one, and he gave great advice for buying a new one, and even said he was going to say that we called and canceled so we wouldn't be charged for him to just come look at it! I was very impressed with this guy, and would totally call the company and give rave reviews for him, except, I "canceled" so he was never really here.... ;)

Steve and I went off in search of a new washer, and decided to go brand new as opposed to used, which is something we almost NEVER do. Long story short, we ended up at two different Lowe's to find the one we got, and are very impressed so far. The best part about it is that we got a front loader, which spins faster, and the clothes are much dryer when they come out, so then they only take ONE round in the dryer, which we're hoping to NOT replace any time soon. yay!

well, right before the guys hooked up the new one, I snuck (apparently that's not a word, but what is it then, sneaked? ah, yep, no more squiggly...) back there to clean up a bit, and wipe down the wall where a bit of mold was growing because the sheet rock and soaked up water from the washer leaking all the time. NICE. anyway, so I'm wiping the wall when suddenly my hand was like inside the wall, and possibly even inside the garage. The whole thing just fell apart while I wiped. UGH. so now we need to replace that part of the wall too. Good thing my dad can do it, and while we have him here, maybe we'll finish up the painting around the house too! fun!

and believe it or not, we have one more problem to deal with. Last week Steve was gone to Maryland for work, so I had to mow. Well, I ran out of gas while I mowed, so I filled up the gas tank with the little red gas can thing. makes sense, right? well, it didn't start right away, but eventually it did and I finished mowing. So I called steve the other day and asked if I should mow again, bc it's crazy long, and he's not around much to do it. So he says, "well, we're out of gas." and I say, "no, I just filled it." and he says "with what?" and I say "the little red gas can." and he says "the LITTLE red gas can or the BIG red gas can?" and I say "the red gas can that had gas in it....I don't know." so he explains that one is for the mower, and one is for the weed whacker, and I used the wrong gas. and I said, "Welll.... maybe we should MARK them with a MOWER and a WEED WHACKER label so that we know the difference!" Isn't that a good idea?

So now I just got done dumping the "wrong" gas out of the mower and into a dish tub thing, and I'll take the BIG red gas tank to the gas station and fill it up so I can mow again. And my dad said it'll probably smoke a little from the oil that was in there, and we might need to replace our spark plugs on the mower...or something...we'll see how this all goes.

Let's just hope that we're problem free for the rest of the week, and heck, I'll even hope for the weekend!

in search of summer: Brielle

My friend Mary at the yellow door paperie is hosting "in search of summer" and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share some of my favorite recent pictures. :)

My next few posts will be showing a few ways I see summer approaching for each kid. And for starters, here a few pictures of Brielle. If you're wanting to check out what others are posting, click on this button, or the button on the side bar to head to Mary's blog with a list of people participating. happy summer searching! :)



I love this picture because you can see that the grass is green, the kids are playing outside, but it's not that croaking hot, can't stand to be outside kind of day. Long sleeves and shorts, or short sleeves and jeans...perfect. :)


And with summer approaching, we thought we'd beautify the front of the house a bit, and the ice cream truck just so happened to drive by while we were hot and sweaty. So we indulged ourselves.


and finally, we've got a diaper sticking out the back of a swimming suit, high heels on the wrong feet, and a long open sidewalk. does it get any better than this?



welcome, summer. welcome.

to pass the time...

So you all know the phrase "Mr. Mom" but for the past couple days I've been playing "Mrs. Dad." Fixing bikes, mowing the lawn, taking out the garbage, ya know, all the stuff Steve usually does. and I'm sure ready for him to come home. :)

I know I've said it before, but I do much better, surprisingly, when Steve is out of town. When I get the "please just come home! when is he coming home?" stuff out of my head, I'm a much more pleasant person.

Until the kids go to bed anyway...

but this time, to pass the time, I just sat and watched episode after episode of Friday Night Lights. If you're my facebook friend, you probably already know my obsession with the show. It's safe to say, that by FAR, hands down, without a doubt, it's my favorite show EVER. And I just so happen to have all three seasons on dvd, thanks to my dear husband and his parents. Because not only did he give me what I ASKED FOR for mother's day (which was a clean and tilled garden, ready for planting), but they also got me these dvds. I've been wanting them so bad for a long time, but I'm just way too cheap to buy myself something like that. It was the best gift ever. :)

So I sit there for HOURS watching the drama of a high school football coach and his family, and the other various high schoolers and their families as well. And if I sit down dead tired, with my eyes half closed after being mommy and daddy for a whole day, and can no longer to anything that requires brain power, then something magical happens when the show comes on. I get stuck in it and find myself watching episodes until I FORCE myself to turn it off and go to bed. And this is at like 1:30 or so. I could watch them all night I tell you. The only weird thing is that I find myself saying (or almost saying) things like 'son' and 'damn' and 'y'all' and shouting 'clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose,' all of which have never been part of my vocabulary before...

Anyway, we're down to one more night til Steve comes home. I'm thinking I can for sure finish season two, and possibly even watch all of season three if I start right when the kids go to bed. And then, when he's HOME, I will no longer feel the need to spend every waking moment on my butt in the chair watching FNL. and that will be grand. Because while I don't get a TON of time with Steve most days, I really really miss the little moments I DO get. I hate it when he's gone and I can't wait for him to get home. And even though Steve can do a PERFECT (seriously, perfect) impression of Coach Taylor to give me a FNL fix when I need it, there's no one that can give me the Steve fix when I need THAT. So hurry home, Babe.