Welcome to the FYBF Fears, Tears and Belly Laughs series!
While I’m on holidays, I’ve asked some very special bloggers to share a story based on one of the prompts and wow wee, what a great line up!
Please make sure you leave some comment love for each guest blogger. The more love we give out, in tenfold it returns.
Using the Tears prompt this week, I have the lovely Karina from The Laney Files.
She has four kids, including baby twins (Mama of Twins for the win!) that are really cute and really needy. On her blog, Karina writes about her family chaos and all the times she doesn’t get this parenting thing right…which is a lot of the time! “But hey, that’s what wine o’clock is for, right?”
Over to you, Karina…
Rainy day tears
The morning had started all wrong. Someone woke up too early, which had the effect of waking up everyone else in the house, one at a time. Too early. The kids argued with each other over breakfast, one of the twins wanted to be carried everywhere and the other one whinged constantly. We couldn’t find the ballet shoes. We left late.
Eventually, we were on the road, headed for ballet class. However, as soon as we arrived, it started raining heavily. For some reason the car park was all but full and to fit into one of the remaining spots, I had to reverse in, taking care to leave enough room at the back to get the double stroller out of the boot.
As I turned off the engine, it couldn’t have been raining any harder. We’d arrived right on time for ballet, but there was no point in trying to get through the rain with three kids in tow. Maybe it would subside if we waited for a few minutes.
It didn’t subside. In fact I think it got harder. Starting to feel a bit panicked about how late we were getting, I grabbed an umbrella and decided to risk it. I hoisted the giant stroller out of the boot and looked for an undercover place to set it up, which was through the parked cars and a few metres away. Which is just what you want when you’re getting three kids out of the car. I pushed on with the task and that’s when the giant stroller and I got wedged between the cars. That sense of panic rose a bit more. I threw the umbrella down with disgust and used both arms to lift the stroller high enough to get through, getting saturated for my efforts.
As I put the stroller up, a man walked past and looked at me, a glimmer of sympathy in his eyes. I softened, thinking he would offer to help. Then he said, ‘Bit wet, isn’t it!’ and hurried past me while I swore really loudly inside my head and swallowed down the panic.
I got my first toddler out, and shimmied him through the cars, both of us getting rained on as we moved. Unfortunately the stroller was a new one and while I’d tested its up and down functions, I hadn’t banked on tricky buckles that required a secret pressing sequence to open. I pulled and strained at the buckle, willing it to open, my wet hands slippery and clumsy. The rain bucketed down around us. Fuck we were late.
And with that I started to cry, right there in the car park. Not just a few shy tears either, but one of those big belly sobs that come out all loud and snotty. I held the toddler between my legs, put my face in my hands and tried to calm down, hoping no one could see me.
Somehow the buckle opened and I packed away the twins, ushered the ballerina out of the car, and we all hurried through the car park in the rain. I wiped at my face and tried to paste on a smile. I felt ridiculously traumatised.
Once at class, I made eye contact with a fellow ballet mum who was chasing her own toddler around. She gave me a brief look and said, ‘We’ve all had mornings like that.’ And I thought, what a brilliant thing to say. Then I cried again.
Sometimes there’s mornings that are tough but you can push through it, shake it off or find a way to kick its arse. Other mornings, it’s just raining too damn much.
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Leanne @ Deep Fried Fruit says
Nice to meet you Katrina. Hope the rain subsided. Yes, we’ve all had mornings like those …
Leanne @ Deep Fried Fruit recently posted..Day 2247 – No Christmas at home
Leanne @ Deep Fried Fruit says
Ooops – Karina. My way-too-fast typist fingers managed to slip a T in there … so sorry!
Leanne @ Deep Fried Fruit recently posted..Day 2247 – No Christmas at home
Karina says
Ha ha no worries, yep nothing like a bit of rain to make simple things 100 times harder hey?
Karina recently posted..5 ways a holiday with kids is not a holiday
Raych aka Mystery Case says
Great post Karina. What a fab series Grace. Hope you are enjoying your holiday.
Raych aka Mystery Case recently posted..All I want for Christmas is… a blogging GIVEAWAY
Karina says
Thanks Raych
Karina recently posted..5 ways a holiday with kids is not a holiday
Amy @ HandbagMafia says
Oh god Karina, we all have those days but would it have killed him to lend a hand? Ratbag!
Amy @ HandbagMafia recently posted..Women of Words: Male Feminism
Karina says
And I would have declined his help! It’s just the the gesture would have been so appreciated…
Karina recently posted..5 ways a holiday with kids is not a holiday
Lydia C. Lee says
yep, we’ve all had mornings like that!!
Karina says
almost a rite of passage isn’t it?
Karina recently posted..5 ways a holiday with kids is not a holiday
annette says
Reading your post Karina triggered memories long forgotten. I imagined your little ballerina in all her ‘pink’ and then remembered my own little ballerina that has just turned 19 years old! It was always a juggle getting to her classes with her younger siblings. Thanks for helping me remember these good times. Annette
annette recently posted..5 Tips to get the most from your cheese
Karina says
yes, good times!! Apart from the rainy struggles!
Karina recently posted..5 ways a holiday with kids is not a holiday
Ingrid @ Fabulous and Fun Life says
Yep, when my twins were younger I remember mornings like that too!
Ingrid @ Fabulous and Fun Life recently posted..Christmas Gift Ideas For Women 30 Years+
Karina says
Twins definitely make mornings more…fun
Karina recently posted..5 ways a holiday with kids is not a holiday
Natalie @ Our parallel connection says
Of Karina. I can feel your wet pain. I have had many morning, afternoons and evenings like that. Now I end my day with a wine just to ease that pain.
Karina says
I counted down the minutes to wine o’clock that day
Karina recently posted..5 ways a holiday with kids is not a holiday
Mumma McD says
Oh mate, you should have sworn loudly OUTSIDE of your head, would’ve made you feel better! A good cry is very therapeutic x
Mumma McD recently posted..Bum shamed at the playground
Karina says
ok you’ve got me. I did actually tell the old man to fuck off
Karina recently posted..5 ways a holiday with kids is not a holiday
Denyse says
Oh how I felt for you…I am so the person who cannot undo or collapse any baby stroller/pram under the best of conditions let alone these. Why oh why didn’t the passerby help…I would have.. Hope life is much sunnier now! Thanks for sharing on G’s blog! Denyse
Denyse recently posted..For EVERY Child. 343/365.
Karina says
Thanks Denyse! Yep I am back to my sunny self now!
Karina recently posted..5 ways a holiday with kids is not a holiday
Ai Sakura says
No disgrace in crying and letting out the stress over such a dreadful morning!!! Hope you’ve not encountered such a bad one since then and have a brilliant weekend ahead 🙂
Ai Sakura recently posted..Prepping for P1: New Haircut for the New Year!
Karina says
Thanks Ai. Yep we definitely have to cry sometimes don’t we?
Karina recently posted..5 ways a holiday with kids is not a holiday
Erika @ Ever-changing Life of a Mum says
Definitely had days like that … long, long days 🙂 Seriously, why does it always seem to rain just in time for school drop off, pick up time or other kids activities?!
Erika @ Ever-changing Life of a Mum recently posted..Trust Your Melody: book review, interview + giveaway
Karina says
Yeah! There have been so many school pick-ups when the rain has held on all day, only to unleash itself 2 minutes before the bell rings!!
Karina recently posted..5 ways a holiday with kids is not a holiday
Kirsty @ My Home Truths says
Yep, I’ve had days like that too. Just not with a double stroller. I probably would have just driven off and gone back home – you’re a brave woman to have gone in there regardless!
Kirsty @ My Home Truths recently posted..Getting active with the kids – Honoré Activewear Review
Laney@thelaneyfiles says
I was very tempted to drive off – maybe I should have!
Laney@thelaneyfiles recently posted..5 ways a holiday with kids is not a holiday
Julie @ OFF TO THE PARK says
Oh Karina you are so good for not saying ‘Nup no ballet today!’ and staying home. I know I would have. I’ve had that sort of day with my two girls, so understand what you must have been feeling. 🙂
Julie @ OFF TO THE PARK recently posted..It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Laney@thelaneyfiles says
I think I would have had a more relaxed morning if I had said no to ballet that day!
Laney@thelaneyfiles recently posted..5 ways a holiday with kids is not a holiday
Lisa says
Yep, the tears flow in the awkward of places. I found that when days like that happen it means you need a break or a wine or 5!
Lisa recently posted..Word for 2016: Consistency