The Day We All Acted Like Brats. Yes, Me Too

For the past week or so, every time I drove down the main street in my town I noticed a banner for the: First Ever Annual All Species Parade May 14th at 4:30.  I wondered what the heck an “All Species Parade” was, but never looked into it.  Then the night before the parade, I got an email from a mom explaining it.  Apparently some local art group was organizing it, everyone was to show up either dressed up as an animal, or with a puppet.  Then we were marching in a parade down Main St, and around the town.

This sounded perfect for my little boys.  What child doesn't like to get dressed up?  My kids are always playing dress up, I have an entire drawer of stuff devoted to this type of play.  So the morning of the event, I asked CamCam and “Mr. Trouble” if they’d like to get dressed up as animals and be in a parade.  I got a very enthusiastic cheer of “YAY”, and “Mr. Trouble” said he’d like to be an elephant.  CamCam said he wanted to be a monkey.  “Mr. Trouble” said: “Are you sure CamCam?  I’m being a elephant, don’t you want to be a elephant with me?”

“No, I monkey.”

They were really getting into this, lots of discussion took place over what “The Baby” should be while I drove us to Jo-Ann’s for the necessary supplies. 

Once I got back home, I worked nonstop on their costumes.  CamCam and “Mr. Trouble” kept checking in to see how it was coming.  “I so excited,” was uttered more then once. 

Finally, less then an hour before the parade was to start, I finished. 

And that’s when everything fell apart.

I’ll admit, I let “Mr. Trouble” play the Wii a lot more then I should have that day due to all the sewing I was doing.  I told him it was time to get off so we could get dressed up and he said: “You know what mom?  I don’t want to go to the parade, I want to stay home.”  He reluctantly put on his costume, and said the ears were stupid.  I had bought face paint for them, and he did sit there and let me paint his face, and then he went upstairs and rubbed it all.  He went on and on about how it itched, so I washed it off.  CamCam refused to even put his costume on.  He screamed and screamed NO NO NO, every time I tried.  “Leader of the Fab-Five” started complaining about how this was dumb, and why did he have to go.  It’s for babies and could he just stay home.  “Little Miss” started sulking and crying because there wasn’t a costume for her to wear. 

The Dada arrived home from work early to attend with us, and we decided to drive up anyways, maybe once they saw all the kids they’d change their mind. And, there were supposed to be extra costumes available, so “Little Miss” could choose from them.

Nope.  Lots of crying and complaining still.  So I decided to take “Little Miss” and “The Baby” to it, and The Dada drove the rest of them home.  Well…..actually I threw a little sulk/fit of my own and stormed off with “my only 2 agreeable kids, the rest can go to bed for all I care.”  Not my best mommy moment.  I’m ducking my head in shame now.

“Little Miss” ended up wearing the elephant costume, it was a little short, but she enjoyed it anyways. 

And “The Baby” had a grand time.

Today, however, “Mr. Trouble” and CamCam eagerly put on their costumes and let me take oodles of pictures of them. 

Figures, right?

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I ran out of grey and had to use pink for the inside of the ears, which made for a nice mouse/elephant combo.  Mouseaphant.

   

 

Flipped them around, that’s more like it.

He had brown pants but I didn’t put them on for the picture.