Stuff Calgon cannot take away...

My father-in-law and I were driving home from the doctor's office last week with my two red teary-eyed toddlers in the back, when he looked at me with a shit-eatin' grin and said, "So what adventure do you have planned for tomorrow?"  He was saying this because over the last few months (probably longer if I am going to be truthful) my family has been in non-stop crazy mode.  Almost everyday, some catastrophe occurs in this family that varies in degree but never disappoints.  Before I go into the story that I led with and others, let me give a little bullet of recent events that have cause in increase in crazy.

From October 2012 to Present:

• I lost a job that I loved as a geology professor.
• Husband due to no fault of his own went off his bipolar disorder medication causing crazy mood swings. 
• My 4 year old son was diagnosed with asperger syndrome and we are now trying to get him the therapies he needs.
• We had the flu over Christmas and New Years.

In other words, we have not had a shortage of bad news or situations of late.  It was starting to feel like someone had cursed us, and quite frankly I am still not sure if that is not the case yet.  No other explanation makes sense.  No matter why or how though, all of this has happened which has truly made me appreciate breathing, laughing, and of course alcoholic beverages.  There is no other way to have survived it all.

Now back to my sarcastic father-in-law.  He had chosen the short straw to help me take my two boys to the doctor's office for a post flu check-up.  My 4 year old aspie hates visiting the doctor because of course they have to touch him.  Something that he despises.  And of course they are going to talk to him and there will be loud noises, other things that he hates.  So, it's basically a trip to hell for him.  Because my 21 month old is in the, I will do what my older brother does stage, he too then hates the doctors.  So, we had two little ones who cried, screamed, pooped, and thrashed when the doctor examined them.  It is exhausting and emotionally draining.  It was one of those moments that it just sucks being a mom.  Why?  Because I know I caused them to be scared by taking them to the doctors but I also know that it had to be done.  So, my father-in-law thought that that was the adventure, but I knew better.

All these things that sort of crept up on us all intertwine on days like those.  I knew that my aspie would be off and have meltdowns that would include throwing, hitting, biting, peeing, and being mean to his younger brother, which in turn would set off my bipolar husband to start fuming, venting, and hating life.  Together, they would not eat, not sleep and truly just have a horrible evening.  And this is how it went.  I was just about to lose my mind, because dad was about to yell at aspie when my baby, the 21 month old, let out the loudest, wettest, funniest raspberry that you ever heard.  (Thought I was going to say fart, didn't you?)  It might not come across as funny now, but in that high stress, majorly intense moment, it was hilarious. All of us laughed and gave way to our best raspberries possible which deflated all the tension in the house. I swear after that it was easy to breathe.  Not to long later, aspie and husband had a snack and kids went to bed.  I'll have to remember this moment the next time the baby flushes my make-up down the toilet.  I guess he does earn a reprieve. 

Some days we laugh, some days we just breathe, some days I have a margarita, and some days we blow raspberries.