Mamma Said There'd Be Days Like This

Oh, really, it's not that bad. I was just struck by the truth spoken by my 8-year-old as I tried to compare and contrast the benefits and deadly drawbacks of a myriad of fly-killing contraband at our local Ace this afternoon.

I noticed a few flies in my family room yesterday and quickly blamed the kids for leaving a door open one too many times.

But this morning when I drew open the blinds in the formal living room (for the first time in days as it was rather dark and dreary, and we could use the extra natural light) I came across an active civilization of flies. Twenty or 30 were flying about, some stuck between the window panes and all very slow, slow enough that I could swat them with a magazine.

The flies at the farm are faster, and we rely on my MIL to get them. Believe me, if fly-swatting were a professional sport, Linda could have her own LeBron James-style free agency media circus.

I conducted a little research and learned I probably had 'cluster flies' on my hand. They look like common houseflies but behave as if they'd been hitting the fermented grape juice a little too much. Slow or not, I didn't want them in my house, so off to Ace I went to pick their poison.

And while holding the cans and containers a good arms-length from my face (as I did not bring my reading glasses and the warnings about how the products might forever affect animals and small children are printed in the tiniest type allowed by law), Andy was busy pulling off everything from the bottom shelf, then doing his soon-to-be-famous-spin-in-place dance; Luke was repeatedly accusing me of lying to him, as we were supposed to go home right after swim lessons and this stop at Ace was not part of the morning's plan and if we didn't stick to the plan well, then, he would just fall apart (he did by 4 p.m.); and TJ was running from aisle to aisle, barely missing old men while very accurately stepping on women's toes before finding the candy aisle and constantly asking, from half way across the store, if this candy or that candy had soy in it (he can't have soy, and it's in almost every packaged food, especially chocolate).

I took a deep breath and wondered if I'd find in the Pest Control aisle anything for my current infestation of small boys.

That's when Luke said it: "Wow, it seems like being a Mom is a hard job."

Yes, Luke, some days are harder than others. That's why Husbands promise to meet us out at our local Mexican restaurant for margaritas, I mean, dinner.

Thank goodness for Husbands who get it!