Saturday, March 01, 2008

my wild life

After a week of being with the kids - all day, every day, by myself - Charlie will usually take the children off somewhere for a few hours on Saturday morning, after breakfast, so that I can have some time alone. On these days, I have found that the sounds in our house are always a little bit louder. The whining a little bit whinier. The fighting a little more severe.

Subsequently, the degradation of my patience happens just a little bit faster.

While I was cleaning up from breakfast, every one was talking at once. William was standing in front of me asking "Mom, did you buy this shirt in the store?" Elizabeth was asking "Did you see my TWO bunnies?" and Carolyn was pointing to a shiny red apple, the most obvious looking piece of fruit in the entire world, and asking "What's this?!"

To William, I responded "Yes."

To Elizabeth, I responded "In your room."

To Carolyn, I responded "An apple."

But those answers did not satisfy my kids. They just kept drilling me with questions, over and over and over again. And then, Charlie, started to tell me something about his upcoming trip, just as the baby started crying.

This is the symphony I heard, "What store?" "You go get my TWO bunnies?" "This an apple?" "To fly up north instead of driving..." "Wahhhhhh!!!" "What store?" "You go get my TWO bunnies?" "This an apple?" "Will save us at least 8 hours..." "Wahhhhhh!!!" "What store?" "You go get my TWO bunnies?" "This an apple?" "Not to mention a bundle on gas..." "Wahhhhhh!!!" "What store?" "You go get my TWO bunnies?" "This an apple?" "And the wear and tear on our car..." "Wahhhhhh!!!" "What store?" "You go get my TWO bunnies?" "This an apple?" "I'll rent a van..." "Wahhhhhh!!!" "What store?" "You go get my TWO bunnies?" "This an apple?" "Car seats will be installed when we get there..." "Wahhhhhh!!!" "What store?" "You go get my TWO bunnies?" "This an apple?" "And I guess I can bring sleeping bags for the kids..." "Wahhhhhh!!!" "What store?" "You go get my TWO bunnies?" "This an apple?" "..." "Wahhhhhh!!!" "What store?" "You go get my TWO bunnies?" "This an apple?" "Wahhhhhh!!!"

Charlie stopped talking and said - a split second before it would have happened, "Wow, I'm looking in your eyes and your pupils are starting to quiver. It looks like you're ready to explode. Are you alright? Do you need to take off and go somewhere?"

I responded, "NO. I'd like it very much, though, if YOU would take off and go somewhere and take all of these little people WITH you."

Charlie vacated the premises with four children, and while he was outside washing cars - I cleaned the bathrooms. I poured myself a mimosa, grabbed my iPod and headphones and scrubbed toilets while listening to The Cranberries.

I had such a fantastic time, I really wonder how a week in Florida will stack up.

Last night, we had a birthday celebration. Not for any person in our family, but for anyone that had a birthday on February 29th. Considering the day only comes once every four years - that's enough of a reason for us to celebrate with cake and ice cream.


We are a crazy bunch, we are.

6 comments:

  1. that a boy charlie! way to see it before it a) happened and b) before Jen had to say anything first...

    Jen, glad you got your time alone...why we always spend it cleaning and doing things like taxes and such, I'll never know, but to be alone, I'd scrub toliets :)

    That is a good little fun tradition...I might have to start thinking of better ways to have cake!

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  2. Jen celebrating everyone's only once every four year birthdays is what makes you a wonderful mother. You are real and you are raising four incredible people. Thank you for sharing your life.

    Lucie

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  3. OMG- I was totally hyperventilating reading this post! PHEW!
    BTW, go get a therapeutic massage instead of cleaning toilets to the Cranberries!

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  4. OMG I am crying I am laughing so hard. Seriously that was such an accurate description of my days lately, minus the crying infant, that I was dying reading that.

    Why is it that every question they ask has to be repeated one hundred million times the same exact effing way even though you have already answered the question?! "Momma what you doing?" Said one hundred million times despite answering the same way each time is enough to make me want to scream, "WHAT are YOU doing?!!!!".

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  5. My sister said she has no idea how I deal with the "input". I tell Greg to get the kids and GO! frequently. We sure are lucky we have husbands that will take all the kids and leave when we ask them to, aren't we? Or we'd be in a mental ward. I'm sure of it. Or in the closet with our fingers in our ears repeating over and over, "I can't hear you. I can't hear you. I can't hear you."

    So are you going to let Charlie fly?

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  6. Hurry back! :)I keep checking even though I know your gone. I have an addiction now lol

    Cristy

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