Wednesday, September 01, 2010

Just another day in para ... oh gotta go!

It didn't seem crazy straighten Haven's room. Several nigths in a row I had shoved piles of plastic toys to the side so to avoid punctured feet when he got out of bed. Those piles were growing and climbing my to-do list.

In a frenzy I divided plastic food, plastic pots, potato head appendages and matchbox cars into various baskets. These kids aren't getting this stuff back until they ask, are well supervised and immediately clean it up! I decided idealistically.

Halfway through my reorganization of Haven's toys, I called out, "Maiya, what are you doing?"

"I'm wiping Boots' heinie." Her monkey, Boots, often needs extensive hienie wiping after Maiya herself needs the same.

"Haven, where are you?"

"I'm painting my nails."

Halt to-do list. I ran around until I found my 3-three-old hunched over his white toe nails with a bottle of white-out in hand.

At this point I will note that I have decided that yelling, screaming or raising my voice is not the type of parental practice I wish to further perfect. Like 911, it is to be use strictly in emergency situations and not for general chit chatting. In other words, just the day before I had decided that I would not yell anymore. It's not nice. Nobody likes to be yelled at. I am trying my hand at talking in a calm, cool voice. Should be interesting.


So, instead of letting out the, "what are you doing?!" that was raising in my throat, I smiled, took a breath, and grabbed the camera. I then extracted the white out from Haven's hand and returned it to the junk drawer from which it came (you know, in case he needs to touch up at a later date). Then Haven and I learned that white out does not come out with soap and water.


This is why, when over coffee Danna told me she recently spent four uninterupted hours cleaning her house, I could be nothing but envious (I mean, happy for her).


I never considered the great luxury of completing a to-do list until I became a mom.