Badges? We Don't Need No Stinking Badges.

I was feeling pretty on top of my mothering game yesterday.

We had done all of our To Do's for the day, had school, ate a delicious dinner as a family, and Dave was off for his run. I looked at the clock, saw that it was barely 6pm and the sun was still shining bright. Heck. Yeah. How great of a day, right? All the checks checked and it's still daylight. We shouldn't let this great day go to waste inside - we should do something fun! So I loaded the Gator in the stroller and the big kids got their shoes and socks on, and off we went on a walk around the neighborhood. The older kids ran ahead of me laughing and smiling, stopping at all intersections and holding hands on the busy streets while Allie laughed along watching them. I decided I needed a badge. A Freaking Awesome Mother Badge.

You could probably see my smug.

As we neared the end of the walk, my motherly heart bursting with pride at my well planned day and well behaved crew, we walked past a friends home as she happened to exit the front door.

And all heck broke loose.

Tot and Little David screamed "JOOOOOYYYY!!!!!! We MIIISSSSEDDD YOOOOOUUU!!" and ran full speed up her driveway, ready to tackle her with hugs. At that very moment, Joy's freshly bathed kids walked outside as well, as Joy tried to tell them to go back inside so they wouldn't get dirty and I tried to calmly call Tot and David back to the sidewalk, which they ignored. Oh, and did I mention Joy was on the phone with her mom trying to do all of this quietly while my kids shrieked and hollared and she hadn't really even said hello to us? Yeah. As quick as you could say "No. No. NOOO!" the kids had all raced inside the house and I was running with the stroller up the driveway trying to get them out of the house and miming apologies to the still-on-phone Joy. I left Allie in the stroller at the front door, tried to grab my crazy fast running kids (swirling in different directions, of course) all while Joy tried to get off the phone, and then Little David runs back outside and tries to push the stroller down the driveway while I finally get a hold of Tot. I pull her outside, grab Little David's arm right before the stroller and Allie with it get away. I catch the stroller, bark at the kids to get their hands on the garage door and Don't you move a muscle. And then ever so sweetly I say "Oh hello Joy, we were just taking a walk. How're you doing?"

Sigh.

She laughed, and then chaos erupted again when her kids ran outside and for the next five minutes all four kids run in a circle shrieking bloody murder and laughing. My "Freaking Awesome Mother" badge definitely and publicly soiled, I succumbed to the moment and laughed along, realizing that while I may be able to control everything for a span within my own house, the kids will always, always go bat stinking crazy the second we see another human being.