Darn that Presidents' Day.

Our morning was a total bust.

We started out at Babies R Us, with big plans to take advantage of their sales this week. The boys are each on their way to outgrowing their current carseats, and although they don't need new ones this week, they were on sale this week. Feeling very proud of my proactive attitude, I thought, Look at me, buying things when they are on sale instead of when I frantically need them and have to pay full price... way to go, Great Mom.

But no luck. They were out of the ones I had planned to buy... they are expecting more on Wednesday, but today is not Wednesday, is it? My plan for Wednesday does not include a return trip to Babies R Us. This was the plan for TODAY.

So, load up and head out. (But not before a little girl yelled at Tucker. See previous post.)

But we still had plenty of time in our morning, so I decided to take the boys to the library. I have a few books on my list of must-reads, and Tucker's personal literary choices could use some refreshing, not to mention my desire to further cultivate Tyler's joy for board books... what a great way to spend the morning until lunchtime.

As we drove from Babies R Us to the library, I invested in some positive story-telling. I talked all about a nice little boy who went to the library with his mommy and his baby brother. You see, he was allowed to stay out of his stroller as long as he stayed right beside his mommy. He got to pick out some beautiful and interesting books to take home, and when it was time to go, he got right into his stroller and obeyed his mommy, since he was such a good little boy. His mommy loved to take him places, because he was so well behaved.

(Tucker and I do not have a very strong history of positive experiences at the library. I was pouring this fable into his little mind, in hopes of a seamless visit, filled with great book choices, a smiling mommy, and a tantrum-free toddler. By the end of the story, he was ripe for the picking, so to speak. I had set him up for success. He was ready to obey... I could feel it.)

Finally, we arrived at the library... which was locked up and closed for Presidents' Day.

Are you kidding me???

Yes, all the children in the country are off school today. And perhaps, when I was teaching, I may have been very thankful for this holiday. Okay, without question, I was very thankful. But today, I just wanted to take my children to the library. It seems to me that on a day when children aren't at school, the library should certainly be accessible for their extracurricular educational opportunities.

I'm sure all the children of America would stand in agreement with me.

We'll try the library tomorrow. And maybe Babies R Us on Wednesday. We'll see if my attitude improves.