lost it a little

today i was folding a little laundry (yeah - again) and the kids were playing outside. they both come running inside talking very loudly.

they both ran into my room saying, "THERE IS A GIRL TRYING TO GET INTO OUR BACKYARD! SHE IS TRYING TO GET INTO THE GATE ON THE SIDE OF THE HOUSE!!!!"

we have gates on both sides of the house. we only use one side. the side the "girl" was trying to get into was not the side we use. so i asked the kids, "maybe it is H (the little girl who lives next door) who is trying to get into her gate and she is just wiggling our gate."

"NO MOMMY!!! SHE IS TRYING TO GET INTO OUR GATE!"

"okay let me go outside and take a look. stay IN the house."

i walk outside in my boxers & t-shirt and sure enough, i hear someone tugging at the gate. i go to the gate and look through the fence. there is a woman tugging at the gate. i notice she is wearing a lovely fluorescent yellow vest and there are several people across the street in the same lovely attire. i figure it must be gas or electric people.

i say, "hello?"

she says, "hello?"

"you scared my kids to death!" i don't think i said this in the nicest, possible way. i know i need to work on that.

"oh - well i asked them if their mommy was home." replies the lady.

i said, "do you need something? can you please go to the front door so i can talk to you?"

she goes to the front door and we chat a little. she tells me she is from ONG checking for gas leaks. they do it every 3 years. i tell her i need to put the dogs on the side of the house and then she can come in on the other side of the house. i think i did say again that she scared the kids. i think she apologized.

later in the day, i started thinking about it again. why did she try to keep coming in the gate after she knew there were children in the backyard? why did she not come to the front door after she saw there were kids in the yard? uggg. i guess asking if "their mommy was home" was supposed to put them at ease.

my kids said she said, "hi." my son said after they heard someone at the gate, they looked out the fence, saw the "girl", and then she said "hi". they ran in screaming and told me about it. my son said, "well since she said "hi" i figured she was nice, but we ran right in!" i had to tell him just because some is nice to you doesn't mean they are nice. however, i don't want them to be scared of everyone.

what would you have thought about this?

anyway, i freak a little today. plus allergies are driving me nuts. however, the sweet officer let me and my daughter take an hour and a half nap. all is well.