Yesterday I slept in until 8, made an egg souffle for breakfast, and put dinner in the crock pot.... I then prettied-up all the kids to go to church... which, is no small task when the hubby isn't home. Lots of running around putting together belts, socks, shoes, ties, hair bows... etc. Usually this part of the day is accompanied by lots of nagging, grrr's, whining, tantrums and an occasional curse word under the breath. But I was determined to keep it cool.
We drove to church playing " I spy" the whole way there. I was so pleased with myself for being on time for the 3rd time in a row, and that my children and I were smiling and happy on the way there.
Anyway, my mythical land of perfection was shattered when we pulled up to the church-- I thought I had just entered the Twilight Zone. There wasn't a single car in the parking lot, except for mine. Did I miss the memo or what? I was baffled. I called a friend to find out what was going on-- "Stake Conference" she said. (which is a big regional church meeting held in Killeen) How did I not know this? It wasn't on my teaching schedule, and since I had missed the previous week didn't get the reminder. The boys burst out in a cheer when I gave them the news... bless their hearts, ya can't blame em. Anyway, since we had 1:00 church we had already missed the whole thing... I was disappointed.
We drove home and I told the boys there would be no T.V. or video games... which is more of a punishment for me, than anyone. "This is going to be a long one" I thought.
I was excited to put Bella down for a nap and read a little. I picked up my book, "The Undaunted"-- which is a great read, if you like church history. The boys went up stairs and got out their weapons, nerf guns, wands, swords... etc. Before I knew it, a full blown war was raging around me... which makes it very difficult to read when you have the microscopic attention span that I do.
Mason nailed me with a nerf dart-- it had a suction cup, and stuck right in the middle of my forehead . I fell over on the couch trying to play along...the boys laughed hysterically, and continued to shoot me with darts. This is what happens when you are the mother of three boys. You are not a human being, you are a punching bag, a dart board, a trampoline, an object for target practice.
But enough was enough, I wanted to read and enjoy my day of rest a little.
"Take it outside, or find something different to do. " I said, a little annoyed.
Issac-- the king of bad ideas : "Hey I know, lets play Wizard Wand Slap!"
I put an end to that game very quickly... if you use the name of the game literally, you'll know why it didn't last long. Then they all sat on the couch dejected. I was determined to make them bored, hoping that would incite some creativity. You know, the thing kids used to use for entertainment before, Disney channel, the Wii, the ipods...etc.
Next they were shooting a Tinker Bell mylar balloon that was stuck to the ceiling trying to get it caught in the ceiling fan that was spinning around.... this activity lasted about an hour in which no reading was accomplished.
I then taught them how to play "Mary had a little Lamb" on the little key board that we got for Isabella's birthday. We can't yet afford a piano, or lessons, so I thought I could teach them the names of the keys and a few basics.
Mason and Jackson really got into it and were playing "Mary had a little Lamb" over, and over, and over, and over again. It seemed like a good idea at the time. But I felt like my head was going to explode.
"Go upstairs--PLEASE ! " I said, ever so kindly.
It was quiet for a while, and soon I heard fits of laughter coming from upstairs. I kept reading for another 30 minutes, convincing myself that I didn't EVEN want to know what they were doing. Finally I gave in and went upstairs to check.
They were having the "World Championships of Fan Flying". A game which consists of climbing on the bunk bed and putting your designated action figure on the ceiling fan to see who's Bionicle, spiderman, or clone trooper could hang on the longest before flying off. Jackson came out not just the winner, but the "World Champion" and "world record holder" of fan flying. As a mother I couldn't be more proud... I think I'll get a bumper sticker that says,
"My child is the world champion fan flyer!"
Finally, dinner time. Crock pots are the best, I just scooped up dinner for everyone and we ate. It was quiet for the first time all day... Mason and Jackson did the dishes, to my amazement, without me prodding them the whole time. We cleaned up the house which by this point looked like... footage from hurricane Katrina.
Still wasn't bed time so we played Apples to Apples.
Said prayers and went to bed...
So much for the day of rest.
Somehow we managed to have a little birthday gathering for Bella's second birthday. I know everyone says this, and it's a total cliche but... I just can't believe how quickly this happened. Here she was just yesterday...
