I’m often asked what life is like here in the “Lyons Den” and my routine answer can be found in a fable about a little girl who has a little curl right in the middle of her forehead -- which, for the record, I happen to have!. “When it’s good, it’s very very good and when it’s bad, it’s horrid.”  Most of the time,  our life is very very good.  But sometimes, it’s not. And then it is horrid indeed.  Here’s a sneak peek at one of those times.

I’ll start by sharing the text I sent my husband on this night… a night when I arrived home from work admittedly frazzled and not quite ready for the mayhem that awaited…

“Macmac barfed. Decker barfed.  Quiche has mold.  Help!!! BTW, don’t think mold & barfing are related.  Think barf & strep are related & quiche is just bad luck!”

For those of you interested the events preceding and following my hopefully humorous plea for help, here’s a quick rundown of this particular day in the Lyons Den… oh, and by the way, yes, our kids do eat quiche, ideally without mold.  They think it’s “egg pie” and therefor qualifies for “breakfast for dinner” which, of course, is a notion they love.  In any case, here’s how this day unfolded…

5:47:    Wake up.  Go for run. Unload dishwasher. Make lunch. Pack snacks. Start laundry.

7:00:    Drag Liam (7) and Ciara (5) from bed.  Make breakfast. Demand teeth brushing, hair brushing and coat wearing; wave good-bye as they board the school bus.

7:30:    Moaning from the room of our three-year old triplets prompts me to look inside.  Discover MacMac (aka Cormac) in a feverish fit with green snot pouring from his nose.  Literally pouring. Temp is 101.9

7:40     Debate with dear hubby: To take Mac to the doctor or not? I think he needs to go. Dear hubby disagrees. He says no, I say yes.  He glances at moaning, snot-dripping, red-faced child.  I win.

7:45     Shower, dress, get MacMac dressed, pack up my lunch and bag for work.

8:15     To the pediatrician we go – thank goodness for the walk-in hour!

8:45     Home we go – that walk-in hour sucks!  Waiting room is overflowing with cases of pink-eye, the flu and other generally sick kids.  We make an appointment to return at 11:30.

9:00     Dump miserable MacMac at home with sitter and other two triplets; head to work.

11:15   A bundle of nerves and stress, I leave my piled-high desk to retrieve my boy and return to doctor.

11:45   Discover MacMac has strep.  For a moment, relish the victory that taking him to the doctor was the right thing to do.  Then panic sets in. How long until the rest of them get strep too?!

12:00   Quick trip to the drug store to fill prescription. 

12:45   Return to office, attack my sandwich and overflowing in-box.  Work, work, work.

5:45     Home sweet home.  Feverish boy slumbers on couch while other kids run wild.  Poor Baby Mac.

5:50     Closer look at couch reveals that feverish boy on couch is not Baby Mac!  It’s Declan.  Ah, the joy of identical triplets. Oh, and P.S., the second case of strep has arrived.

The rest of the day (and very long night) went pretty much as you’d expect, with a fair amount of whining, moaning and groaning. And I’m not just talking about the sick kids.  Such is life in the Lyons Den and thankfully, this type of a day is the exception, not the rule!   

Marketing maven by day, writer by night; Mama Lyons 24/7 to five tots six and under --including identical 3 year-old triplets.  Funny, honest, well caffeinated and never bored! Come visit me on Facebook, Twitter, or at LyonsDenMom.com!