I woke up and almost immediately told myself, “self, today you will not eat any of those perfected cookies-yes the ones where you use dark brown sugar and extra pecans.” “No matter what, NO cookies.” After all, it is the Sabbath and you should treat your body better. All those cookies, and well…
About this time Orlando enters my room exclaiming that he needs, needs, NEEDS his “Batman” clothes. His Batman clothes are the old ratty Batman t-shirt two sizes too small and a ridiculous pair of yellow cotton shorts—both of which were in the laundry and dirty with sand from his sand angel. (Yes, like a snow angel, only you put your face in the sand and wave your arms and legs.) Anyway, they were dirty, and since it is the Sabbath I didn’t feel like doing laundry. “No” I insisted. “you’ll need to wear something else.”
20 minutes later….
I’m carrying the Batman clothes and some dirty towels (there are always dirty towels) down to the basement to start a load. He is still whining about how he just can’t wear anything else. Finally, I say, “Then stay in your pajamas until this is clean and dry”. “Okay”, he says, easily. That is when I realize he had never actually thought about staying in his pajamas…
So we go to church from 1 to 4. Ammon usually naps about 12-2 or if I’m lucky 3. With Josh on a 30 hour shift I knew I’d have to start early. By 11:30 I had lunch on the table. (Mac & Cheese and chicken nuggets—it is the Sabbath after all, why should I cook much?) I had also started a crock-pot dish for the “linger longer” after church. Yummy BBQ Pork-easy and good. A practical choice in my opinion.
Two bags, a stroller, 3 blankets, a lion, five books, and two back-packs of “special quiet toys” later-we were on our way to church. I unload and we actually claim a row before church starts. Not too bad. Until after the second speaker. The beautiful violin disturbed Orlando’s nap and got Ammon moving-right out of the chapel. Followed by his brother Ivan with no shoes. (don’t judge me here, the kid has recently outgrown his ‘church’ shoes so this morning he wore his clogs-yes the Lighting McQueen” shoes his grandma bought him—he put them on himself and was almost to the van by the time I noticed). Okay so I’m in the hall with Ivan chasing Ammon, and Orlando is in the chapel getting increasingly cranky. I go back in, Ammon cries, but Lando does fade back off to sleep-a rare miracle. Then, Ammon bolts he has discovered the water fountain and the stool. A scary combination. O ya, before this Ammon and Ivan had each strapped a bright red clog to their hand and made a parade beating them by slapping their hand and the clogged hand together, down the isle. So, we’re back in the hall, I’m trying to put Ivan in “Time Out” (a vague parenting concept that I hear works for some, but I have my suspicions). When I get back to Ammon he is soaked. Not a little damp, soaked. “Oh, well” I think, “I am not going home when I’m getting ready for my two free hours of babysitting. I twist his shirt and get a substantial amount of water. By the time he is semi-dry I’m trying to find Ivan, who of course, is not in his “time out” spot. No, he has just woken Lando up in the chapel! So, I take a wet baby, a hyper Ivan, and a very cranky Orlando back to the hall. I really do rejoice in the singing of the last hymn (whatever it was) and set off to the nursery. I laugh when I notice it is warm and they have plugged in fans. I put Ammon in front of it, and run. After smiling at my Relief Society President who asks how I’m doing. “Fine” I say. And I go, for the next two hours I veg. I suppose I heard some concepts, but mostly I’m just sitting and asleep exhausted from my children. By the end of Relief Society I do feel a little more pumped, well, not “pumped” by maybe not quite so deflated, so I go and get Lando, who is talking happily about the pot-luck. I decide to brave it out. We ate and things went relatively well. I took 3 tired boys with BBQ stained shirts home. Ammon fell asleep on the way, and I was trying to minimize trips, so I had, five books, two bags, and a crockpot, plus my keys. A book fell on the way to the door, “oh well” I thought, then I dropped my keys on the porch. “Ivan, please get my keys.” “What, mom?” “Get my keys, please they are up here, on the porch.” He finally gets them as the weight of the bags and crock-pot weigh on me. I get in the door miraculously juggling my junk, turn to sit the rest of the books down-when the crock-pot slips and runny red BBQ sauce goes all over my new carpet. Not somewhere that can be hidden with a furniture arrangement. Right inside, where every friend, neighbor, and pizza dude will see. “OH NO” I yell. “NO, NO, NO!” Ivan is right behind me, “uh-oh Mommy, big mess. Then Lando enters the scene, “who did it mommy?” “I did, Lando. Mommy made a big mess.” Ammon was put to bed and cleaning began. I”ll help you said Ivan, grabbing the nearest thing (a baby wipe) “Look” he says a few minutes later as he proudly showed me his stained cloth, “I got some!” Lando says he’ll help too. So, down on our hands and knees we scrub. I find myself apologizing, but the boys don’t seem to mind. “It’s okay, mommy,” says Lando, “it was just an accident.” “Yeah, “says Ivan, “its okay, we’re helping”. They did too. We scrubbed with the wipes, then the water, then the carpet cleaner, and mom even used the magic eraser. It actually looks okay now. But, what I loved best was my kids showing love to me. It really was okay, and in their own little ways, they did everything they could to help. So, tomorrow I’ll get up and my day will start again-and I will love these boys, and I will be exhausted each day, but first I’m going to have a cookie. Good Night!
