McDonald's Mother of the Year goes to...

ME! (applause!)

All week we've been talking up this great idea for tonight. Since the big kids have a PD day tomorrow, a friend and I figured we'd take the kids (7 and an infant in total) to McD's after skating so they can play together in the play area for a bit. Great plan, eh?

So we get there, Tink has her chocolate milk and half a nugget and throws up all over the front of her, the seat and the floor. I tell the boys we likely won't be able to stay and play in the play area, to eat up so we can head home. Of course that goes over like a lead balloon. I managed to find a pair of E's jeans in the van (thank goodness they're nearly the same size) and got Little Miss cleaned up. By the time that was accomplished, she was perky again and insisted on eating her nuggets. I measured her miraculous return to health against the pending tantrum and decided to stay for a bit. In hindsight that was a poor choice but how could I know? She ate the rest of her nuggets and the boys played in the play area. Twenty minutes later she started feeling crappy again so we got ready to go home. As we were getting our coats on, she threw up again on the floor and down her front, but not in the plastic bag she was holding 'just in case' she was sick again. They love me there, I'm sure of it.

On the way home she was sick once in the car, but there wasn't much left in her and this time she managed to hit SOME of the bag (some even though it was tucked under her chin!). When we got home, I shuffled the boys into the house first, then went back for the girls. I came into the house with Paxten just in time to see Elliot flip over the back of the couch and land on his head and elbow. So he's screaming b/c he's hurt and mad about falling, Paxten's crying b/c she's feeling crummy and covered in puke and then AnnaWen joins in, just for good measure - who wants to be left out? And I know this makes me take the cake, but I don't hug kids covered in puke, I strip them first THEN hug them. Mean, I know. Poor Munsters.

They're all now "tucked" in bed. The girls are asleep (PJ puked once more in the toilet at home), and the boys are trying to be quiet. I had to cancel my Thursday Night TV Date with my friend so I'm going to crawl into bed with George, Meredith and Izzy and feel sorry for myself that all my good friends have left the ER in Chicago. Fingers crossed we've seen the end of it!

N