How lack of sleep can affect you...

Normally if I were to get stuck behind someone at the grocery store with 8,000 items, unruly kids and a wallet full of coupons, I would scoop all of my groceries off of the conveyor belt, load them back into the cart and get in another line just to make a point - even if that new line took longer in the end. But in a recent trip to Wal-Mart, which I strategically timed so that Grant would be sleeping the entire time, I found myself behind such a woman. in addition to a million groceries and coupons, she also had competitor ads for price-matching AND pointed out at least 20 Halloween items that were NOT ringing up 75% off. (Can you just SENSE where this is going?)

Well, since there were only a couple other lanes open - all of which were far away and also filled with people, I decided it would make more sense to tough it out in the lane I was in - the one where all of my items were already organized on the belt. I can be patient - Lauren is behaving, Grant is sleeping - everything is fine. But this price matching, coupon-carrying, scanner stalking thrifty crazy nut pulled out every...and I mean EVERY time-sucking punch to make sure she saved another penny. Soon Grant was fussing. I began rocking his car seat as I considered a) leaving my groceries and walking out of the store; or b) loading everything back up to move to another aisle where I'd need to unload it again. I'd already invested an HOUR in the store - so I stayed.

Grant's fussing picked up - he was no longer asleep - and I knew he was going to be hungry soon. I swung his car seat a little more feverishly - praying - PRAYING that this woman would hurry up and LEAVE already! No luck. Now her kids were misbehaving and she was distracted from her coupons - further delaying the checkout process. Now Grant is BAWLING - I'M. HUNGRY. NOW!

And this is when I begin crying....CRYING in the Wal-Mart checkout lane....while Lauren looks up at me from underneath the gallon of milk and bread I've buried her under to say "You sad, Mommy?" Now, with this added guilt that I"ve concerned my toddler, I begin crying MORE.

Sleep....it keeps us sane....I need some.