Endless Saturday.

I would shut up about today, but I have something big to say.

R's snail is still sick.

Just kidding.

Well, he is. But that's not it.

We did not barbecue tonight. I didn't know this until around 7:00, but E and T were going out. I'm going to have to start drawing some lines. I put Baby I down before they left and then it was me and the kids. I was scared.

They were good while I made myself some dinner. The schedule around this place is ridiculous. The kids run around and play while T chases them with bites of chicken and tries to get them to eat. So I have been cooking for only myself because these kids don't eat anything anyway. I made a nice veggie stir fry and a mashed sweet potato, which I don't even like and am not quite sure what came over me.

As I finished eating R told me how tired she was. Five minutes later when it was time to go upstairs for bed she suddenly wasn't tired anymore. I bribed her with a piggy back ride and got her to brush her teeth while I brushed J's.

According to T, they each pick one story at bedtime. I cheated and picked one, too. With three stories in tow, we started toward the bed and R quickly changed her mind about being ok with all of that. She wanted to read a series of princess books, six of them.

I said no.

The tantrum of the century started. I warned her she would lose all her stories. I warned her that she'd get a time out while me and J read. I warned her that she would go to bed while we read stories. The screaming got worse and worse.

I took her out of the room and tried to talk to her somewhere quiet. She screamed.

I considered leaving.

We went back upstairs and when she had to stop screaming to inhale I calmly let her know that we were now going to make a deal. My deals are famous with children. She stopped screaming and did that shuddery sucking of breath that comes with real tantrums.

I told her if she calmed down, that after stories she could look at her princess books while we laid down (I stay in the room for exactly two minutes after stories)but that we couldn't read them with our other three stories. She wouldn't say yes to the deal, but she did stop screaming.

We started reading. She listened to the first two books. When we read the one I picked, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, she actually giggled and talked with me and J.

We finished stories, we laid down. She looked through her princess books. I offered an extra minute of lying down time.

She took my hand and said, "Kim, I love you" and made my day.