Wednesday, April 18

Why I Didn't Blog Yesterday...

Because I couldn't laugh until today.
Just the highlights, though...

8:30 AM:
"Hey, Mom! Emily looooooves tea!"
- You gave her tea? In a cup?
"*snort* NO. I gave her the tea bag."

9:45 AM:
Smidge cries.
"Smidge somehow got shoved".
- Somehow? Was this, perhaps, a miraculous shoving? Shall we call the papers and the priest?
"Um, no. It was more like he was in our way while we were rough housing. And he hit our bodies with his head. When we landed on him."
- Uh-huh.

9:47 AM:
Smidge, crying again.
- What happened this time?
"Smidge sort of got hit with a bat."
"A bat? In your ROOM?"
"Yeah. It was weird."

10:15 AM:
Well, no, from 10:15 to about 11:00 wasn't bad.

12:25 PM:
"Why do we have to pick up before we can make candy?"
- Do you want to make candy, or not? I thought so.

1:10 PM:
-Does it MATTER who gets that particular wrapper off the floor? There are, after all, THREE OTHERS waiting to be picked up!

2:00 PM:
-OK, gather all the materials on the list and let's gather around the breakfast bar.

2:01 PM:
"Mom, we're out of cornstarch."
- We can't be! (search, search, search) then,

around 2:25 PM -
- I guess we are. Let's pick another project.
"OK. What do we need?"
- I don't know... since you have the list. ;-)

2:28 PM:
*bringing me the baby* "Hey! Look who's up?"

2:38 PM:
We've now finished the changing of the baby, which also included -
1. having to find the wipes Smidge "put away" for me. Seems simple enough. "OK, where are they?" (NO ME NO!) :-) Aww, he's so cheerful about it...
2. wiping the poop from everything the baby could contaminate while we tried to retrieve the wipes
3. sterilizing everybody's hands
I look up to see that James has already. begun. the project.
Without us.
And it's not going well.
"Mom, I don't know what I did wrong."
- *snort* Well, neither do I, since you didn't wait for me.

It was all I could do to usher everybody out before I began foaming at the mouth.
Regroup, try again.

We tried another project, but what was I thinking? I gave up when I turned to see one of them licking the prepared baking pan. By that point, it was after five, the day had been just one weird fire after another, and none of us had any umpf left in us. I sent them outside.

5:35 PM:
(Coming in with a Very Serious Look) "Mom, see this blood?" (shows me a bloody hand) "It came from my head."
- Of course it did. Today, that would make perfect sense.

We cleaned the wounds, fed the children, repaired the kitchen. Eventually, the sun went down, the bodies slowed, tempers cooled...

I didn't fully appreciate it at the time, but we had stories and snuggles in bed. We told jokes, and gave plenty of hugs. We agreed to start over again in the morning, and it was good.
I kissed my babies.
Brushed the hair back from their faces.
Kissed their sweet, sleepy, warm cheeks once again.
Turned off the lights.
Collapsed in bed, closed my eyes, and pretended I was invisible.

15 comments:

Laura said...

Another priceless day with children! And days such as this as just as wonderful as the picture-perfect ones.

mere said...

Oh. My. Word. I could have totally written that post!

Isn't interesting how the little ones always seem to purposely collide with various body parts on other people? "Mommy I was doing back flips on the couch and B. decided to sit right where I was flipping...That's why he's now missing an ear!" "I didn't bite him! He put his thigh in my mouth!"

I laughed out loud several times, not at you but with you.

I hope today was a better day.
mere

Rebel said...

Oh dear...what a day! I thought I remembered reading somewhere that you never did hands-on projects. :-)

Emily (Laundry and Lullabies) said...

Oh Dy, what a day! I had a pretty awful one yesterday, too. My husband actually sent me off in the evening to go to our church's discernment committee meeting in his stead - just because I desperately needed to get AWAY and focus on something else for awhile. :) I have a wonderful husband.

I've been wondering something, lately. Do you ever get stressed out trying to make sure ALL FOUR kids get loved on enough? Because I'm getting seriously stressed out trying to love on two of them and still get dinner on the table and keep up with the laundry. It seems like if I spend enough time with Jonathan, Thomas sits in the swing all. day. long. And if I cuddle and play with Thomas enough, Jonathan flips out from lack of attention.

Laney said...

ROFL at this on: "Mom, see this blood?" (shows me a bloody hand) "It came from my head."

Too funny!

Know why it's funny? Cause it's not me! Bwhahaha!

I hope today was better.:-)

Becca said...

Oh, what a day!! I love how you did the timeline--can't we all relate so well? And like always in your house, even a day like that ends with love and warmth and joy. You're the best!!

Dy said...

"I didn't bite him! He put his thigh in my mouth!" ROFL Mere!!! I love you because you get it. On SO many levels.

Rebel, days like that are *why* I don't do hands-on projects. I haven't the organizational skills, the stamina, nor the patience. But in my defense, we were going to make marshmallows, and I REALLY wanted to make marshmallows! Never. Again. (I say that now...)

Emily, {{{hugs}}} Yes. I'll write about that. In the meantime, trust me, you're doing better than you think you are.

Yeah, I know the feeling, Laney. But lately I haven't been able to laugh at others. It feels like it's *always* me as of late! :-O

Dy

Laney said...

But who better than you? You have the patience of a saint! Me, I hide in the bathroom with the Twizzlers bag and a book. LOL!

(((Dy))) :-)

momanna98 said...

And this is why I love reading you!! You still manage to find the good. Even if it took until the next day. :-)

Kathy Jo DeVore said...

LMAO I know, I shouldn't be, but damn. :) These two are killing me:

"And he hit our bodies with his head. When we landed on him."

and

"A bat? In your ROOM?"
"Yeah. It was weird."

And no, I've never understood the arguments over who gets to pick up a particular toy/piece of trash/whatever. I think they do it for revenge against me for making them clean up.

((hugs))

Bridget said...

Oh, my gosh this all sounds so familiar but funny coming from you. I stand there looking at them wondering who stole my kids and replaced them with aliens. But, when they look at you, smile and say "I love you Mom, you're the best" it makes it all worth while. I am all for hiding in the bathroom with a book and chocolate though.

Patty in WA or Rover said...

OK, now imagine this same kind of thing going on with an ONLY. Sigh.

That "pretending you are invisible" thing gives me a product idea...

Consent of the Governed said...

Just wait.. it gets better..

Age 23... Um.. I got stopped by a cop and he wanted to search me for drugs.. I told him that I didn't consent to a search..he gave me a warning and we drove away. By the way, I am going on a business trip to Alaska next week.

Age 19... Um.. is it ok if I drop Financial Accounting and re-take it this summer.. I'm kinda failing it. Oh and can you drive up this weekend and pick up half my stuff so I won't have to move it all home all at once in 2 weeks?

Age 15 ... Um.. Jenna and I want to start a night club at the old firehouse.. is that ok? We won't have to pay rent, they said we could use the place if we clean it up. She can book all the bands and I'm going to manage it. It'll be so cool and all the kids will want to come. We have all these really great plans.

Yup.. kiss those babies.. even at this age!

Jennie C. said...

Just when I was starting to think that you never have bad days! You are a very good mother, Dy. I wish I shared your attitude a lot more often than I actually manage it!

Meliss said...

Oh dear. I think I jinxed you by nominating you for that nitty-gritty blogger category. I'm sorry you all had one of those days. Very funny :)...but I'm sorry.