How Many Kids Is Too Many?

Today I was ambitious. I packed up AleVit and walked over to school (beautiful hot day). I tried to keep the babies away from the 1000 children who wanted to see them and touch them. I gathered the big children while I let some adults hold the little ones. I was less than thrilled that their teachers chose to send home every damn thing in their cubbies (yes, we will still need their sneakers at school in two weeks!). So I  had the stroller real real full of clothes and art and snacks and diapers. We walked down 15 blocks to BT all the while AleVit screamed at the top of their lungs. I was so thirsty and hungry that I was getting faint so I walked into Silver Moon and spent a small fortune on Chai and a croissant. But the chai was hot because in my mind I had said iced. And the croissant was not what I wanted. I could not have a hot drink in 70 degree weather and I could not put it in the cup holder on the stroller because it kept spilling all over (how the hell does that much liquid get out of that tiny hole?). I was pissed but the cheapness in me would not let me throw it out. M suggested that I give it to a homeless person but I told her even a he/she would not want my overpriced boiling drink (why the hell didn't I just get a glass of ice?). Back to the kid story, if you are still here since I am being kind of like my sister and meandering...when I got to BT I realized that my plan to work on art projects there, to bring the babies down (there is no damn ramp!) was crazy so I asked a teacher to come outside and watch/witness crying while I went in to get J's best friend. Damn are they cute together! People stared as I steered my four kids plus one (with both babies screaming) to the Dino park. 5 kids may have been ambitious. All three big ones wanted help to climb the dinos, babies cried while I fed one at a time (tandem public feeding is even too much for the UWS), J told me he had to pee and M was obsessed with snacks. When I told J I could walk with him to the fence while he peed he told me that was "inappropriate" (we did it anyway). By the time my friend arrived with her daughter (M's sleepover date) I was about ready to go home. That did not happen because we had to wait for F, on his way with his friend M from out of town.. you get the picture, lots of people and comings and goings. We hung out for an hour on a corner while F spoke on the phone (fun fun) and then all squshed into the car (never big enough) with 5000 bags. J's M replaced my daughter M, plus F's friend M, it was a full house. Ok, that is all I can write now. You get the picture.