Fifty Shades of Red

I vowed a long time ago that I would never be that mom. You know the one I'm talking about. The mom who let's her kids run wild in a restaurant while she sits oblivious in the corner, chatting away on her cell phone. The mom whose children knock you down in the Target aisle because she is too absorbed in the sales paper to notice.

I mean, if anything, I fall a little too far on the opposite end of the spectrum. I'm the mom who sweats at the mere thought of taking all 3 kids out for dinner for fear that they might actually behave like children. Gasp!

So this weekend, I put on my big girl panties and ventured to the mall with all 3 kids in tow. By myself. {I know it doesn't sound like a big deal, but for a control freak me, it is.} And to my surprise, everyone was actually behaving themselves for a change. B was helping out with the baby and Punky didn't throw a major tantrum at the sight of the mall train. Our little outing was going way smoother than I had anticipated. 

* deep sigh of relief *

To reward the kids for their good behavior we grabbed some double doozies at the food court and made our way over to the Bounce Zone. B ran in one direction and Punky in the other while I sat with the baby, who by that time, decided that she had had enough of the stroller.

In the time it took me to bend down and unbuckle baby girl, this happened...

I'm not sure which was louder...the sound of kids screaming as they scrambled to escape the deflating bouncy castle or the devilish giggles coming from my toddler as he ran towards me, grinning from ear to ear. My face immediately turned fifty shades of red . Oh. Em. Gee. I wanted to die of embarrassment.

And I'm still not sure how he did it because I sure as hell didn't stick around long enough to find out. I did what any good mother would do...I scooped up my children and and ran as fast as I could for the exit.

Mommy=0  Kids=1