A rare perfect day...

Unless you're raising kids in Stepford, CT, nothing is perfect and parenting is never easy. No matter the age of your kids, there are always challenges, whether it's the Terrible Twos or the teenage years. Each day brings some new crisis adventure to be experienced. Many of these adventures in parenting result in Mommy or Daddy clutching her/his head and reaching for the Excedrin bottle. It's to be expected in any family and it's a given in our family...we do have 5 teens, after all. (I know, I know....what were we thinking when we chose to adopt 4 kids who were all roughly within 2 years of each other and our bio child in age??? Did we not realize that they would all become teens at the same time??? Couldn't we foresee the Hormone Hell we were heading for??? Logic clearly didn't enter into our reasoning. Funny thing, emotion...it leads you to do some pretty crazy amazing things.) Anyway, the days are often long and fraught with drama in our house...but just once in a while, we get lucky.

Yesterday was darn near perfect. Here's why:

• The morning routine and school day went smoothly 
• No one got their panties in a twist, sulked, or misplaced their homework folder
• Everyone got to school on time
• No one forgot their lunch, binder, or any other item which would necessitate Mom making another trip to school
• Everyone had a good day in the pursuit of learning
• On the van ride home from school, everyone was in a good mood (a minor miracle)
• There was laughter and good-natured teasing, no hurt feelings or unkind comments
• No one got into an argument (another minor miracle)
• Everyone did their chores and homework without complaint (Ummm...who are these kids?)
• We had actual dinner conversation, complete with stories of everyone's day, jokes, and laughter
• At one point, Craig and I just looked at each other and smiled, basking in this rare moment of familial bliss
• Our kids were being loud and funny and fun to be with at the dinner table
• No one was asking to be excused  2 minutes into the meal to return to a videogame or a TV screen
• Successful family bonding time...check!
• The rest of the evening continued the same way...
• Kindness was exhibited between sibs
• No one got their panties into a twist about a single thing (This was when I started thinking about Stepford kids...)
• No one argued about bedtime, screen limits, or showers (OK, there was a little grumbling about the last item...but only token resistance from one cherub so I'm calling it a victory.)
• I actually got to watch TV with my big kids, another rare treat
• All homework was done early and all the chores, too.
• The younger kids were in bed ON TIME!!
• My 16 year olds watched a couple of episodes of Vampire Diaries on DVD
• No one bickered or argued
• No one hogged the remote
• I thoroughly enjoyed their company
• They went to bed without argument around 10:30...
•  I got to watch TV all by myself after that (Now that's an unusual occurrence!)
•  I went to sleep smiling and counting my lucky stars...all 5 of them.

While I'd love to have times like this every day, I don't have any illusions. My kids are human and so are their parents...none of us are Stepford models of perfection. It may be a while until we get another near idyllic stretch of harmony around here. My goal is to store up this positive energy and draw on it the next time life in Hormone Hell gets a bit crazy...it's either that or move to a strange little town in Connecticut.