It’s been a rough day. Not in the deep, devastating way of facing true hardship, just in the myriad of small ways that come with being a mom 24 hours a day, every day. I lost my cool this morning trying to get my two sons, sloth and turtle, out of the door for school. Why is this so hard? Why do I have to ask them to put shoes on 527 times? Why is it a surprise that we brush teeth and get dressed and go to school, just like every other week day? Why are their jackets and gym shoes and lunch boxes never in their backpacks? Why will no one go potty before getting in the car and then have me pull over in the snow because they have to go NOW? Why does no one know where they left that precious animal, rock, scrap of paper that is vital to their survival?…

EXCEPT ME!!  For some reason I the one keeping track of everyone’s possessions, whether they left them festering in the car, dropped them between the couch cushions, hid them under the bed, or put them in a ‘safe’ place?? Somehow I know all this and spend considerable brain power storing it all for those critical moments when we need to be somewhere on time. And sometimes the effort drains away my sense of humor and leaves just a cranky location system behind. That’s when I am like the ‘Nancy Neverlost’ GPS they used to have in Hertz rental cars (or maybe they still do for people without smart phones?). She often sounded a bit exasperated to me, like she was so tired of telling people the same things over and over again and then watching them get it wrong anyway. And then she’d have to tell them the same thing in a new way, hoping they would get it this time. That was me this morning, until even the exasperated GPS voice gave way and it turned into a spirited evangelical lecture about listening and responsibility and taking action, which may perhaps have been just a bit too much for a kindergartener and a preschooler…

On a more positive note, we had our second kid night tonight and the boys chose, wait for it… SHRIMP GNOCCHI!! We had a delicious – and very quick and easy to make – meal and everyone ate with gusto. I’ll post our version of the recipe in case  you want to try it. We discovered it through Blue Apron and I could not believe how much they liked it. Maybe you’ll be surprised too? Or at the very least, it should make a good dinner for you and your spouse! The kids never cease to amaze and delight me, which is really good design when you think about it. They say that’s why newborn babies are so cute too, to keep them safe in the hands of sleep deprived, shell shocked parents.