Not a Happy Camper A Happier Camper *UPDATED

Today I was going to post a great recipe I made up for raspberry smoothies (nothing earth shattering, just were really good). I even had pictures for those of you (like me) who had never attempted to make their own smoothies before. But instead I came home to a terrible sight, and my smoothie blog will have to wait.

My husband called me from his SWAT school, about an hour away to tell me he had taken all of the sets of keys with him today. I was very grateful that our church playgroup (that I head up...at least for now) was at a park a short distance away. Plan B...we will all walk.

As I got everyone ready to go this morning, I realized if I locked the front door I"d have no way back in the house. I also realized I couldn't lock the front door from the outside without a key...hmm....Plan C we will go out through the garage, and we will all walk.

I also realize that we won't be able to lock either the door from the house to the garage, or the garage door to the outside. Plan D...leave the doors unlocked and hope people are really scared of our 2 dogs (which really, they should be...I would be), go out through the garage, and we will all walk.

So I pull the kids, in a wagon (because not all of us can walk, and no one would walk, along with our lunch, a few balls, the parachute, and some diapers to the park. That might technically be plan E.

The kids had a great time, and it is always nice to spend time with other moms (hi guys!). Snug had a fantastic time with a few boys he met there plus some old friends running around like mad, his little fauxhawked head getting quite sweaty, while Baby J ate some mulch, made friends with a kitten, and hung out with a friend from the nursery.

Getting home I thought I might pass out as it had gotten quite warm and I was really wishing I had my van. When I opened the garage door I noticed something I had really hoped would NOT happen. The door between the house and the garage was open. Darn it.

See, our door doesn't close quite right and as the seasons change, we have to latch it from the inside with a special lock to keep it closed. During the warm weather, the door seems to stay closed alright, we just have the problem as the weather cools down. Evidently this morning was chilly enough that it didn't latch as well I as I had hoped, and the dogs let themselves into our house.

I quickly surveyed for damage, as Lucy, our three-legged female, has a taste for all things wooden and plastic. Our male, Chester, has only chewed one or two things in his entire life that I can think of. Lucy on the other hand, has chewed most of the backyard. If you ever come over for a picnic, watch your legs as you sit at our table.

Only two things had been chewed up. One was a bag of dog treats I had stashed under the computer desk for when I really needed to pull out the big guns. She got them out of two plastic bags and finished them off. The other thing was our Fisher Price Rock-a-Stack.

You know that is, right? The white rocking base with yellow post and colored rings that stack. Oh I was so mad. Our rock-a-stack is one of the tools I use daily with Baby J in therapy. DAILY. Do you know how many toys are in our living room? HUNDREDS. Do you know how many I use with him daily? ONE. Really? She had to chew that up? Grrrrrr.

Now I really should be grateful that she did not ruin more of the toys, because if I had to pick something for her to demolish, I'm not quite sure what I would choose. So I was/am not a happy camper.

But do you know what made me a bit* of a happier camper? A friend called to see if I could watch her son tomorrow for a couple of hours. Snug will be thrilled as he and this boy get along really well. Not only that, it crossed my mind that she might still have their rock-a-stack (doesn't everyone own one? I even had one as a kid) and low and behold it was in a pile to take to consignment this very weekend! A "new" one will be coming to our house within 24 hours of the old one dying. A couple of the rings didn't get chomped, and I will hang on to them in case any of ours get misplaced.

*A bit because I don't know what theirs is, but ours was a vintage one that I found before I even had kids and just had to have for future children. There is some nostalgia lost...but I can get over it. Someday.

I am writing this UPDATE about 15 minutes after I posted. I read something over at The Mommy Diaries that you really will want to read. I think I will even go hug Lucy and forgive her.
In fact, I am feeling so much better I might just upload those photos and share my new smoothie recipe...if the kids stay sleeping long enough.