That thing that's been bugging me

Last weekend we went to the wedding of an aquaintance of mine. Actually, the bride cought the bouquet at MY wedding... but the point is I got to see some friends that I haven't seen in a while. I know I acted like a fool at this wedding - maybe it was when I stood up on the table and shouted "I'm here without my kids! WHOOHOO!"

Before the wedding actually started, while we were still in the church, one of my friends mentioned that she and her date almost missed the ceremony - they just lost track of time and suddenly they looked at the clock and HEY WE HAVE TO GO NOW! And I laughed, and then I started talking about how I had to plan my day around getting ready, starting hours before leaving, so that I could give the boys baths, take a shower, pack a diaper bag for Grammy's house, but all in my underwear so I wouldn't get spit up or play-dough on my dress...

I know, I know, I talk too much about my kids, and I was being the martyr, but then my friend interrupted me and said, rather harshly (I thought) and emotionally "No, Kathleen. Want to trade lives with me? Please? I will trade lives with you in a second! Please? Please? Please?"

Now, I know that she had issues going on that made her frustrated with her OWN life, and that was probably the focus of her comments, but being me, and being a little sensitive about the fact that I think people think I sit at home all day eating Bonbons and watching ER on TV, I took it personally. Not outwardly, of course. I just drank too much at the reception. But I've been thinking about it EVER SINCE.g
So to debunk any myths about my bonbon eating, ER watchign lifestyle, here's a snippet of my day:

I woke up at 6am to the sounds of my kids laughing, which is one of the greatest sounds on this earth. Almost great enough to make me forget that I had been up 5 times during the night feeding, comforting, tucking in, and putting-back-to-bed.
My plan was to feed the boys and keep them in their PJ's as long as possible because we have a date with my Mother-in-law for lunch because it is her birthday tomorrow. But when I got to the crib (both boys were in the crib at this point) I saw that Nate's diaper had overflowed, and he needed to be changed right away. So did his sheets.
I changed the sheets, whisked both boys away to the bathroom, and sat Nick on the potty while I changed Nate, who squirmed so much it took me five minutes to get ONE SOCK on, and then I realized it was on inside out. Also, I needed to go get a bib.
Nick was OFF the potty by then, a point made clear to me when he then peed on the floor, AND all over his pyjama bottoms. I expressed dissapointment in my calmest voice, mopping up the pee so Nate wouldn't crawl into it. I then ran to the bedroom to get NICK an outfit he could wear, picking out a shirt he would change out of later because I knew his breakfast would end up all over the shirt. While I was at it, I picked out a "mess shirt" for Nathan, and a bib.
Back in the bathroom, Nate was playing in the toilet, and Nicholas was squeezing diaper ointment all over the floor. By the time I cleaned that up Nate was sucking the training toothpaste out of the tube, and when I pried it out of his talon-like grasp he screamed as though I were removing an actual part of his anatomy.
Remember, this is all withing 20 minutes, at about 6:30, before I have had any coffee.
With some juggling, pretending I was extremely happy, and a little more patience, I managed to get both boys dressed and downstairs for breakfast where the pets were standing with accusing looks, demanding to be fed and then let out to pee, preferably in that order.

So THAT is the kind of mess I had to get ready for that wedding in. And I think I actually deserve a prize for it. ANd I know my friend has other things she was actually referring to, her OWN life, for instance, which I'm sure is very stressful, and that I shouldn't take things personally because I don't think they were meant that way. But for me... just for me... I'll give myself a pat on the back for getting my act together. And I'm going to stop feeling bad about the 3 vodka tonics that took me over the top.