Picnic - A Break?

We attended a picnic today, for S's STEP (Student-Teacher Enrichment Program). So, obviously, we had to cut down on the school work for today.

Baby Z gave me a hard time last night, waking up twice and kicking me when he was awake. After Fajr, I had to cook for we had no lunch nor dinner for today. Because I wanted to finish cooking before Baby Z woke up, I skipped breakfast, or rather, postponed it. So I wouldn't forget, I poured myself a bowl of cornflakes, and set it on the table amidst the cutting board, cut veggies, soaked dried shrimps and chopped onions and garlic.

I finished cooking, cleaning, sweeping and mopping at 9 a.m. Suffice it to say I was dead tired.

The picnic was at 11 a.m. and because it was quite some distance away, we were to go at around 10:30. By the time I was done in the kitchen, Baby Z was already awake, alert, smiling, and excited at the happy faces around him. Inwardly, I sighed, for I had wanted to eat breakfast and shower before I had to deal with him.

It was time for him to nurse. I told S to hold him a bit longer while I dashed back to the kitchen and got my bowl of soggy cornflakes. I had to fuel up first. As I dutifully chewed and swallowed my postponed breakfast, I noticed a slight difference of taste in my cornflakes. After a few more chews, I realized I was chewing a dried shrimp. Great! One stray shrimp for the kangkung had fallen into my bowl of cold cereal. What a breakfast.

S is a pro at preparing the kangkung for cooking now. I was napping and woke up to the sound of cutting downstairs. She was plucking the leaves off the stems and then cutting the stems into bite-size length.

I looked at that beautiful baby in S's arms. He looked real hungry. I would have to delay that shower. I nursed him. By the time he was done, it was close to 10 a.m. Hubby would be home soon to drive us to the park. I handed him to S, and showered. My hair was still dripping wet, and it was already very close to 10:30 a.m.

I nursed Baby Z again, and we left. Alhamdulillah he didn't demand any feeding at the park. We ate our lunch on the picnic table, Baby Z slept, and the kids milled about the shelterhouse trying to fill up their scavenger hunt forms. As I sat there watching them, I felt something with more than two legs scrambling across my back. I frantically made a swap and after a while the movement ceased.

Then I felt something wet on my back, and I reached behind. To my horror, I felt dampness and something apparently lifeless stuck between my clothes and my skin. There was no way though to retrieve it. We had to go home first.

At home, I screamed even before we saw what it was that I had mercilessly killed to a splat!

"It's a grasshopper! Eww!" the kids exclaimed.

I screamed again. I let out a long continuous scream interspersed with

"Take it off!"

"It has wings!" they exclaimed, excited at the gross discovery.

The scream continued, and escalated.

After a long bout of screaming, my fear abated and I was finally able to look at my victim; some kind of green insect with dragonfly-like wings, exposed stomach contents, and a bashed head.

For the second time today, I showered, Baby Z patiently waiting for yet another feeding.

What a day...dried shrimp and then a dead bug. Alhamdulillah it was the shrimp that ended in my breakfast, and not the bug.