Good things come to those who have totally lost their minds on previous occasions?

I'm feeling really good today. Like today, I can do this. Like today, the kids are good, loving children who listen well and are kind to each other.

Which is in stark contrast to the way I was feeling yesterday afternoon. When Bennett decided that me cooking dinner is the PERFECT time for him to start hitting everything with a pan from the play kitchen. Including his sister. Or maybe it would be a good time to start climbing over our deftly placed magazine holder to get to the bookshelf that's off limits. I was nearly at my wits end last night, trying to get dinner on the table and dealing with him. Morgan was nicely sitting on the couch, looking at a book. I finally ended up grabbing him and putting him in his high chair. I mean, what other choice did I have? I can't cook dinner if I'm in the living room refereeing or disciplining every two minutes. So yeah, what other kid do you know that has to be PHYSICALLY RESTRAINED so that their parent can cook dinner. Yep, therapy.

But today? Lots of good stuff:

1. Even though they woke up at the crack of dawn (6:15 this morning!! SIX FIFTEEN!), I was still able to get dressed, with makeup and hair that looks half way decent, make the bed and come downstairs when I was done.

2. I got them up and fed and dressed and sun screened up and we left for the Kindergartners park play date with enough time to pick up the registration packet at the school on our way. I'm ALL ABOUT conserving gas.

3. We were the first ones at the park, Morgan played nicely at the park with her "attitude twin" and Bennett wasn't too much of a handful. I have made plans to do a play date with the little kids with one of the other moms so we can swap off for childcare while volunteering at the school. And the other mom actually said to me that she thought her daughter would be the tough one between the two of the little ones. Wasn't that nice of her to throw that bone to me??

4. When we were done at the park, we headed over to the library to return Morgan's "If you give a ______ a _______" books (which I actually remembered since we weren't flying out the door this morning).

5. While at the library, Bennett actually sat still and colored for a good five minutes. His first real coloring! So cute! I wrote his name on it and he even tried to mimic me writing his name, saying the letters. Cute! Morgan was playing on the computer at the library, going through "Green Eggs and Ham" on it, which she was tickled with. I checked out a book for myself, got the story about the boy who cried wolf for Morgan, and then she picked out another. We saw some friends we know at the library, which is why I love living in a smallish community.

6. We left the library with relatively little fuss, headed home. When we got home, I discovered that hell had apparently frozen over because instead of asking me to carry one more thing while already schlepping enough stuff around to be considered a pack mule, Morgan asked me if she could carry my water bottle inside FOR ME. So, of course I praised her up and down for FINALLY considering that there are, in fact, other people in the world. And then she asked if she could fill it up for me. And then put it in the refrigerator so that it would "be all nice and refreshed later".

7. We got home just in time for lunch. I baked them some chicken nuggets for lunch, which they both ate fairly well and without too much messing around.

8. Now, they are sitting on the floor in the living room and Morgan is "reading" Bennett some of his picture books.

9. I'm also loving the fact that Morgan has a water bottle attached firmly to the hip these days. She's clearly trying to model what she sees and I'm glad it's that I drink water a lot and not the sarcasm and lack of patience that I tend to have by the end of day.

10. Tomorrow is Friday. Wheee!