Place: McGhee house
Parties: Dani, Tori and Tommy
Mission: Torture Mommy.
Result: Success
Wow, it was a rough night. Wes left a cold beer in the fridge. It's like he knew it would be.
Most Mondays, I am home by 4:30 so Wes can get some sleep. He works the overnight, and I do my best to get home so he can be sleeping by 5pm. Tonight was no different, except, I was on time! (Too often my 4:30pm goal is more like 4:45 or even 5pm). I was walking in the door by 4:30. Wes and the kids were upstairs, as Tori was getting up from her nap. "How perfect," I thought, as I walked upstairs, planning to change out of my work clothes and let Wes just stay upstairs to go to sleep.
I change and bring the kids downstairs. Wes mentioned that Tommy may be getting hungry, so I head to the kitchen to figure out what to feed him. I pull out items to make for dinner. A minute later, I pop out of the kitchen to see what the kids are doing. Tommy apparently swiped a bottle of nonpareils from the lazy susan when I was looking in the fridge--and he has emptied it all over the little tykes table and the foyer floor. (Did I mention our house was cleaned today?) His bib, and hands are covered with dots. I groan and walk back to the kitchen to get the hand broom and dust pan. Hearing my dismay, Dani and Tori notice and run to the table, and start to try to lick the tasty candy dots. Dani gags on a mouthful of dots and proceeds to take three steps and puke on the floor. Now, I've got a pile of puke and 400,000 tiny candy balls on the floor. I race to the kitchen to get paper towels, yelling to Tommy to stay still, so he doesn't walk through the puke. I come back with paper towels and bend over to clean up the mess. Tommy, seeing an opportunity, sneaks into the bathroom to splash in the toilet. Puke cleaned, I look around and hear him. Scoop him up, scold him, and scrub his hands. Realize Wes said he was hungry. Give him a large squeezable toddler pouch. Re-evaluate the situation. Decide the nonpariels on the floor need to be vacuumed, so grab the vacuum from the mudroom and plug it in. Turn it on and hear Tommy wail in terror (despite the fact that the house was vacuumed today--perhaps it was his shock from seeing Mommy vacuum). Decide he can cry all he wants, as the candy balls need to be removed. Tommy sprints into the foyer and dining room screaming bloody murder, while squeezing his pouch and spraying the walls with blueberry-carrot goo. Wes comes back downstairs (sorry honey) to see why, after only 15 minutes alone with the kids, there is so much commotion. Sometimes I think he enjoys my parenting fails. He helps by picking up Tommy and pointing out spots of goo that I missed while attempting to clean. All is quiet for a few minutes, he heads back upstairs to sleep.
Now, everyone is hungry. Tommy finishes his fruit squeezer, and Tori has one and finishes it. Dani asks for one and I bring it into the playroom. Tommy decides he wants that one too, and when Dani won't give it up he makes a fist and swings, connecting solidly with my right eye. I see stars. I get teary as I bend over in pain. Dani starts to cry, because she thinks I am sad. Tori starts to cry because Dani is crying. Tommy is still crying because he's pissed that Dani has applesauce. I flush my eye with saline (but may have a shiner tomorrow) and head to the kitchen to start to cook them dinner.
And how was YOUR night?
