I SURVIVED!!...I think...

My oldest's birthday party just ended a little while ago.

I'm still a little traumatized by the whole affair.

There were a few hitches in the plan. And by "hitches" I mean COMPLETE AND UTTER HORRIBLENESS!

#1. Biggest problem of the day: Husband told me--HE TOLD ME!!!--that he worked today at noon. So I planned the party from ten to twelve. I planned it that way so he would be here and could help for atleast most of the time. I SPECIFICALLY planned it around HIS schedule!!!! I just wanted to make sure that was clear. So last night, I'm talking about party plans and whatnot and he says "I don't work at noon, I work at nine. AM." I could have KILLED him!!!! >fuming<
#2. I didn't go to bed until 1am. I can't sleep when I have something going on the next day. There are things I don't want to forget and so I write them down. I go lay down, and POP, there's another thing I don't want to forget or some other idea. It's horrible. Not a lot of sleeping going on with me last night.
#3. Second daughter had a horrible night as well. I don't know if she was having night terrors or what but she kept waking up crying and screaming and was inconsolable. Add that to the already short on sleep/super stressed out night, I was not a happy camper.
#4. No husband helping=evil mom. I had things I HAD to do before everyone got here. Like frosting the cake and getting games ready and mopping the floor. If it wasn't my son screaming, it was second daughter. SCREAMING. CRYING. WAILING. GNASHING OF TEETH. And that wasn't just the kids. That was a lot of ME. My daughter spilled milk all over the floor. Usually stuff like that doesn't bother me, but at that moment I thought a blood vessel in my brain was going to explode. It was a scary morning for my kids. (And a little unnerving for me as well.)
#5. Um, I don't think there were any other huge problems, but I hate not ending this on #5. So yeah...

I kept trying to tell myself in my head that once the party started it would be fine! It would all work out. I just couldn't grasp it with all the screaming. It felt very hopeless for awhile. And then the thought hit me to call my friend. Even though by the time she got here there wasn't much left to do, just the thought that someone was coming to be here for me, was so relieving. I can't begin to express how grateful I am for that relief.

The party was great, it didn't feel like it lasted forever, it didn't feel awful or stressful. The boy only held on to my leg and screamed a couple times, but we got through it! Why all the stress?!

But isn't that what life is like though? Stressful and hopeless and full of screaming, but bearable (and even enjoyable) because you know there is someone there for you. Someone who can pick you up and carry you the rest of the way.

Now I'm going to dust myself off (shower), think about the lesson I learned (no more birthday parties EVER), and have a very enjoyable rest of the day! Wishing you the same!