Crazy Times

We've had so many days that have felt like fiascos that a fiasco is starting to feel normal. It's what makes children who claim not to be tired just pass out on the arm of the couch. Exibit A:

 She could have at least saved a spot for me! What a couch hog!

 I actually had gone into the bedroom to put Stella to bed and this is where I found Emma when I came out.

Anyway, today was another one of those fiascoes, trying to get to the police station to be fingerprinted and accepted as foreigners or something like that. We got a late start, missed going with the group of seminarians and also hadn't gotten 4 copies of our passport photos yet. I won't bore you with the details of trying to get the pictures and all the waiting, but it's probably enough to know that it took about 5 hours and nobody ate any breakfast before we left. Good thing we have almonds and cranberries. Had. Now we need  more. It's amazing how good they taste when your soooo hungry.

Then, to get home and to consider the rest of the day. It's hard to go out again because what I need is find something different than what I've done. (example: I need spices. The grocery store doesn't have much) But to find something new requires me to do a lot of research online. Then I need to make sure I have what I need to make the trip (often cash and bus tickets) If I don't have what I need, then I add another hour to the trip, give or take to find what I need to get started. Then the kids need to be cooperating. And it can't be too close to dinner. Which, by the way, am I prepared for? Only marginally. Because again, the grocery store didn't have everything I was looking for for a particular meal. So do I continue with a trip that I'm not even sure will be successful, or do I change course and try to just make sure I feed everyone (myself included) well. 

Well, tonight is a long night because Leon has rehearsal. And its 3:30. Hmmm. Jury's out. 

This is what I did yesterday to just help keep the kids sane after probably something that felt like a fiasco:

I made them a prison... I mean house, out of the stroller box.

 It was a big hit. It managed to keep Emma from doing serious bodily injury to her sister.

So it's not really big enough for both to sit down without hurting each other.
O well. The walls keep the screaming down.

 First we went to the "Chinese Store" (aka mini very crammed Wal-mart like store, run by Asians) to get some orange paint. Then I whipped out my Exacto Knife and told all the kids to back up before I did something crazy. Actually, I just told them to take a step back while I worked on my masterful creation.

I'm sure she's NOT being kicked out, literally

 Success! One of the few :)