Table For Two

A dear friend voluntarily took all four of my older children for the day on Monday. That left just me and Renee. Only one child to drag with me to a doctor's appointment. I went shopping with only one child. We had lunch at McDonald's and it only cost $2.39! Unbelievable! It reminded me of that brief time in my life when I only actually had one child. Of course, then, I didn't fully appreciate the simplicity, the quiet, the not-having-anyone- to-fight-over-ridiculous-things-with.

Today was far noisier and much more chaotic. There were a multitude of ridiculous things that needed fighting over. There were messes to be made and there was property to be damaged. I had actual, semi-important things to do; as is the norm, the children cranked the antics up to full throttle. I had to paint and then install molding, a job I hate because it involves measuring and cutting things that never fit together the way they are supposed to. In the middle of this job, a child reported to me that there were sparks coming out of the wall socket in the living room. Indeed, there were. So I had to drop one loathsome project and quickly tackle another equally loathsome one. I hate doing electrical work. I was fortunate to have some spare parts around, and was able to replace the flame-throwing socket without electrocuting anyone and before the house caught fire.

Back to my molding installation and full-tilt chaos. Phone ringing. Baby won't take nap. Baby needs help in bathroom. Bathroom now needs cleaning. Two children fighting, one other child crying. Half eaten cookie laying in the middle of floor. Dead bird in the garden. Dog is eating cat poop. Elena sprays Renee in the face with the hose. Dog tries to eat UPS man. Molding mostly finished. House mostly destroyed. Nothing ready for dinner. Another day, another dollar.