Dumpster Omelet

Rose gave me a crazy hair-style with lots of extra knitting needles while I was sitting and knitting the other evening.  Not the most flattering picture.  She did ask me what kind of style I wanted, and I told her since she was the stylist, she could decide.  It's kind of Queen Amidala/centipede I think.

Monday morning this little exchange happened:

Mirin:  "Mama, what's for breakfast?"

Me:  "Dumpster-dived omelet and cheese."

Mirin:  "Eeeewww!  I'm going next door and having some dumpster-dived yogurt at Grandmas's house."

We're new to this whole free food score thing...and it's not like we don't have plenty to eat already.  But I have to say, the extra bacon in our collard greens tonight, along with a pork hock from the freezer, was really good.  It's not that we couldn't buy this stuff if we wanted to - it's just such a shame to see all that food go to waste.

I admit, I was leery of it at first, but on Sunday we got to talk with an old friend of Ethan's who has a microbiology background and has been eating stuff like that out of dumpsters since the '70's.  It made me feel much better about it.  I should add that all this stuff is being thoroughly over-cooked.

We had a really difficult day yesterday.  It was one of those days where everyone is either whining, destroying something, or fighting abusively with a sibling.  It was just awful.  As soon as Ethan got home I told him I REALLY need time off during the weekend, so I can deal with them during the week.  I had not gotten any time off, and twelve straight days like that just wears me out.  I need a certain block of time carved out to restore my patience.

At the end of the day, I just felt like not seeing any of them for a good long while.  The big kids went to watch a stupid movie with my dad next door, and Clothilde fell asleep (thank goodness!!).  We are all so tired.  It was a big, crazy weekend.  By the time Ethan got home, Mirin and Rose had been strongly encouraged to go rampage outside.  Mirin told Ethan I was "in a really bad mood."  Nothing to do with the way he was throwing blocks at his sister, of course.  Or trying to break Clothilde's doll stroller.  All me.

It's so frustrating, but in a way that's kind of true.  You are the queen of your little house, and you set the tone.  But that takes energy.  Lots of energy.  And today, I just didn't have it.  It was one of those rare days when they didn't have a mama for the afternoon.  Nope, they had the MAMA MONSTER, and they'd better not mess with her.