Miserable people grow in greenhouses!

This Saturday Jo (otherwise know as Nonna) and I took the kids to Heeman to get some yummy strawberries and plants.

The place was hoppin like it always is and our possy was huge! We had the stroller, a plant cart thingy oh and a four year old.

We approached the Strawberry line and did our best to not get in anyone way, Okay we tried.

However the whole scene was disorganized Toad was blocking the cart,I was telling him to please move so mom can get out of the way, Jo was moving the stroller to get in front of us, Toad moving in front of her, I take my chance and move the cart and he jumps back in front of it all this with 1000 other shoppers standing with in 5 feet of us and not in any sort of line.

To know me is to know my head is at this point about to explode off my body.

I am stressed and this kid is going down with me. I finally get him to agree to sit his little butt on the cart so we can get our strawberry and in a very unorganized fashion a Ice cream which I totally deserved at this point.

We take what feels like another half hour to move from the strawberry into the green houses. I am sweating, the Toad is screaming cuss he in the last 5 seconds he has acquired a hate of strawberry and can not believe I put them on his ice cream during all this Jo is trying to get just far enough up so that people don't know she is with the mean looking mom and her annoying kid!
Or maybe just far enough so I could get out of the crowd, hmm either way we are now in the green houses.

I am pushing my ever so sweet boy whining devil child on the cart but have to stop ever two seconds to get him off or on, stop him from taking one bite out of every strawberry and putting them back in the quarts or just pull him out of other shoppers ways. 

I am not sure if your getting that this trip was turning out to be the trailer for my first movie Drunkin Mommy.

As we move our way through the mass of people out enjoying their Saturday afternoon it hits me, everyone else looks so happy. They look to be enjoying this trip to the garden centre, taking in all the lovely flowers, enjoying the company of family or friends , planning what the rest of their day was going to look like and I was counting down the seconds till bed time.

At this point the Toad is on the loose, he is being as well behaved as any bored, tired and crazy ass 4 year old can be. He has been asking me a lot of questions about Strawberry "why do they have to have the green part?" "why do they put it on there if you don't eat it?"  he is enjoying the flowers by touch each one to see how they feel, he has taken some time to join other shoppers well they pick out flowers and give his opinion of them. He is running up to different plants and suggesting them to Nonna and I, the mood was relaxing, I was relaxing only problem was neither one of us were aware of what we were approaching.

(Insert dramatic music)

If any of you are regulars at garden centre some times in the middle of a walk way there will be a cart with a mix of plants that the staff are returning to their places.

Well the Toad went up to what I assumed was one of these carts and started to check out a pretty funky plant. I was walking behind him at the time  and as he approached the cart I continued to move past him and reminded him to be gentle.  When I got about 10 feet in front of him I turned to wait for him to finish and that is when the show down started.

Jax was smiling and talking to me or the plant I am not sure when Cruella de Vil approached and put her hand on my sweet boys arm and in a horrible voice told him to NOT TOUCH IT AND LEAVE HER PLANTS ALONE..

What happened next was unreal, even as the mom of this strong willed boy I was shocked. Here he was 4 years old there she was in her early 70 and they were locked in a stare down..

Jax locked eyes with this lady and would not let go, he stared right at her with the most hilarious face on him. It was a mix of smug and grumpy and he would not move away from the plant. (this is a reenactment)

She was evil her eyes were locked in a stare down with a little kid.
She was mean looking just on her own but when she was bond to beat a kid in a stare down she was even more evil.

I was quickly trying to think of something to say, we had an audience and I wanted to use the proper words to make her feel like shit for being mean to a 4 year old BUT also teach Jax that he had to be respectful but still stick up for himself.

As I am trying to think my brave little dude all alone at the cart slowly stepped away from the flower and started to walk over towards me. NEVER ever did he take his eyes off her eyes, he was going to let her know he didn't like what just went down even if he didn't have the words to tell her. 

As he backed his way over to me she finally looked away and he had won!! Way to go Toad!! Well that is what I thought and I could see from his face that he thought that too.

I said to him what happen? He said she was mean to me.. And I said in a loud and direct voice a life lesson I hope he will pass on to his children some day....... wait for it..

Sometimes honey miserable people are mean to little kids!

A man standing beside me who had caught the whole showdown started to laugh and Cruella who heard me just moved along. I have all weekend been kicking myself for not going over and stepping in but I do try to encourage Toad to solve his own battles. And in my eyes he was respectful and handled his own.

We travelled around outside looking at plants and then as we approached the greenhouse Toad stopped and said No mommy this is where the miserable people are.. I said well honey they are everywhere we just have to watch for them..

So my hope is that no miserable people cross your path this week!! And to my brave little boy you have on other occasions stood up for yourself against people bigger, older and meaner then you and as your mom I pray you carry this trait with you over the years. I hope you use it to protect others who are not as brave as you, I hope you watch for miserable people and never let them make you feel bad for exploring your world.. including your mom at times :)

Happy Monday!!