book fair

Dallin was having a family picnic at school in conjunction with the school Book Fair. Being a sucker for family outings and books, I was excited to take the girls to join him.

Lunch was a spectacle.. nothing out of the ordinary for us. So when Dallin was finally finished eating we eagerly went to check out the book fair.

I had told Dallin we could get something special at the fair (I'm always looking for excuses to buy books!) But when we got inside the tiny cramped portable, Dallin had another special treat in mind.... a huge bug vacuum. I was at my wits end already with the three girls running every which way pulling down books every where they walked and now Dallin starts into hysterics. Tears, wailing tears, because he doesn't want a book from the BOOK fair, he wants a toy. It's called a BOOK fair for a reason!! I was trying to console him in the corner while prying the bug vacuum from his fingers. It wasn't working. Time passed. Too much time, I knew there were going to be consequences. I stood up and spanned the crowded room knowing I had lost at least one of my children. And sure enough, after crawling under all the tables and shelves to find Ella and Allison, Auburn was gone. It's funny though, I wasn't even panicked. I didn't have enough energy to panic. I just waltzed out the door with three screaming kids on my hips (yes, my poor hips were outnumbered). And as I loaded up the stroller I heard the "Lost Child" announcement on the loud speaker. Then I began the walk of shame. From the very back of the lunch group, I had to lug my crying 5 year old, my 3 year old who is clutching a stolen book from the fair, and a dangling 18 month old to claim her match. My face (and my apparent situation) just dared anyone to say something or make mental judgement. Let's give it up to mother of the year. See ya at next year's book fair.