Dramatic Morning

Getting ready for church today was really fun.  The kids were SUPER cooperative.

9:15am
ME: (shouting down to the girls, who were watching "PowerPuff Girls" in the playroom) Girls, we have to leave for church in about fifteen minutes, so it's time to get dressed and ready really soon.
GIRLS: (shouting back up to me) Okay!

9:17am
JULIA: (coming upstairs to get ready) Mommy, it's WARM out!
ME: Yeah, it's nice today.
JULIA: (emerging from her bedroom with a pile of sleeveless dresses) Which one should I wear?
ME: How about the sparkly one from Yiayia?  Madeleine is gonna wear hers today too.
JULIA: Okay!

9:20am
ME: Madeleine, come on up and get ready for church.
MADELEINE: (stomping up the stairs, whining) Julia never TOLD me it was time to get ready!
ME: It's not Julia's job to tell you.
MADELEINE: No, but Julia went upstairs and she didn't TELL me why she was going upstairs so I didn't KNOW it was time to get ready!
ME: Madeleine, Julia is not in charge of telling you when to get ready.  I told you.
MADELEINE: No, but Julia didn't TELL ME she was going upstairs to get ready.
ME: It's fine. I just told you.
JULIA: (emerging from her bedroom in her sleeveless dress, with bare legs.) I'm READY!
ME: Honey, you're gonna want tights.
JULIA: No I don't!  It's warm out!
ME: It's not warm enough for bare legs.
JULIA: Yes it is!
MADELEINE: (putting her sleeveless dress on) Mommy?  Should I wear sandals?
ME: You should wear your dress shoes.
MADELEINE: Okay, so then should I wear socks?
ME: How about tights?
MADELEINE: I don't WANT tights!
ME: Well, aren't dress shoes going to bother your feet with no tights?
MADELEINE: Well, I have some knee socks.
ME: Honey, you really shouldn't wear knee socks with this fancy dress.
MADELEINE: How about regular socks?
ME: Come on, let's get you some tights.
MADELEINE: (losing it) FINE, THEN JULIA HAS TO WEAR TIGHTS TOO!
ME: (calling to Julia) Julia, can you do me a favor to help make everything easier and just put on some tights?
JULIA: WHY?!?
ME: It would just make things much easier.
JULIA: But I don't WANT to wear tights. I'm gonna be HOT!
ME: Can you please just put them on?
JULIA: (stomping around her bedroom)
MADELEINE: (whining from her bed)
ME: You know what?  Let's just not go to church.  It's not worth the battle.  Just take the dresses off.
JULIA: But I'm GETTING tights on!
MADELEINE: But we HAVE to go to church!
ME: No, I'm really not doing this anymore.  I'm just gonna go read my book.

Even when I'm trying to call it quits, my kids decide to defy me.  Julia stomped into the bathroom, tights on under her dress, to do her hair.  Madeleine began crying because she banged her arm into the bathroom door frame.  Julia stomped down to the garage and got in the car.  Madeleine was still crying in her bedroom so I went to check on her.

ME: Honey, let me see your arm.  You really hurt it, huh?
MADELEINE: No, it's just that I was trying to find my dress shoes in my closet, and I could only find one, and you were already so upset so I didn't want to bother you, and (tears flowing even more freely) I felt like the fate of the WORLD rested on one little shoe, and then I found it.
ME: Honey.  You can ALWAYS ask me for help finding something.  I'm never going to get angry about that.  What makes me frustrated is when you girls are fighting and not cooperating.

We did finally get out the door.  Needless to say, we were late for church.

Here are the girls in their sparkly dresses from Yiayia.  Just try to picture them with bare legs and/or knee socks and you may understand why I was such a meanie and made them wear tights: