The best cure for a horrible day ? A bowl full of ice cream!

What a day yesterday was!

It was the first day back home that I was on my own with the kids. Not that it's a big deal -- I do it all the time. But the kids seem to be holding a grudge. Well, at least L is.

Still.

S has been overly lovey. Kissing me all the time, and telling me she loves me. But still throwing her fits and stomping her feet.

But L ... he has been wrapped up in Daddy. And getting mad at Mommy.

And last night?! Whew.

We went outside to play after naptime. Played in the yard, walked around, and then I busted out the chalk. The kids were having a good time, but I needed to come in the house and get dinner started. I asked M if he would mind sitting outside with the kids. He didn't want to -- so I had to pack up the chalk and bring the kids inside.

L?

He was downright inconsolable at that point. And that was the beginning of the end.

The entire time I was cooking dinner, he was clawing at me to pick him up. If I picked him up, he just sobbed and cried real high pitched in my ear. I would set him down and it just got louder.

At dinner, he cried in between every bite. Nothing I gave him seemed to make him happy, or stop crying. I knew he had taken a crappy nap, as it was ridiculously short compared to normal. But I guess I just assumed if he could eat a decent meal and relax a little, that he would calm down and be okay the rest of the night.

I was wrong.

So I tried the next best thing. I took just L with me, ran to Food Lion, and came home with some ice cream. S had busted her leg and forehead falling off the porch this afternoon anyways, and I wanted something that would make her magically better, too. [Even though she claimed after she was done crying that it didn't hurt.]

What did he do?

He cried the whole car ride ... most of the time in the store ... the ride home. AND while I was spoon feeding him his ice cream. What kid cries while he's eating ice cream? A really tired one, that's who.

I scooped him into the bath, where he finally calmed down. And afterward, I let him play by himself while M gave S her shower/bath. He was happy and content, and when it was bedtime, I asked him if he was tired. He got up, walked t his room, picked out his story, and waited for me.

It was the sweetest thing.

But I won't lie -- I ended the evening with a bowl of ice cream myself, a scoop of each of the two flavors we had bought.

I also ended the night covered in strawberry juice, chalk dust and water from both doing a few dishes and bath time. But that's another story!