Evidence That Will One Day Be Used Against Me
July 18, 2005
My oldest son had, say it with me now, another baseball game. Rob took him and all the boys to the game. I opted to stay home. Since the game is an hour away from our house and they need to “warm up”an hour before the game, it turns it into an all day long affair. I just couldn’t stand outside in the blistering heat, holding a sweaty squirming 7 month old and chasing a two year old around.
Just strip me of my Nike sneakers, because I JUST. COULDN’T. DO. IT.
I decided to stay home and relax. Oh and to grout the tile in our sunroom, because a 2 year old and 7 month old are the perfect helpers for this type of job. Of course they will sit quietly and watch the Wiggles, for 30 seconds.
At one point my two year old was sitting on top of our piano in the adjacent room throwing CD’s across the room like small frisbees and clapping for herself. And I found myself saying things like, “Wow, what a good throw. You’re good at that!” Because it was either that or have her playing in the tub of wet grout and trying to dig it back out of the floor with her fingernails.
And then when she wanted to have a snack for the twentieth time that hour I suggested that she go get one herself. When she poured an entire box of Honey Nut Cheerios out onto the area rug and the two of them climbed into it eating it by the wet fistsfull, I said, “Oh, yummy yummy!”
Other memorable things I said.
“Please don’t paint on the baby’s back with the grout!”
“Don’t dunk your head in the bucket of dirty water!”
“Go look out the window in the other room and tell me if you see an elephant. Are you sure? Well keep looking, maybe it’s hiding.” This one bought me at least five minutes. And because I am mean I used it several times successfully.
My two littles successfully trashed several rooms in the house. When Rob came home he surveyed the mess and declared it looked like a frat party gone bad. Very, very bad.
I question whether the medication I am now taking, my crazy drug, is working at all. Because all evidence this weekend points to the fact that I am, in fact, still nuts.
But I do have a nice floor.
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The floor looks great-I just might try that elephant idea-I’ve made an art out of thinking of ways to distract my kids.
July 18th, 2005 at 10:41 amI love the floor. I know you are not a TV fan but TLC has a show, Property Ladder, about people flipping houses and the trials of home remodeling etc. It is a good series but yesterday the woman trying to re-do the house had her 3 year old with her every day. The camera man loved the little boy but you could see that 3 year old and home repair don’t mix.
July 18th, 2005 at 11:08 amI commented on your pic, but I am totally impressed! I am dying to redo the floor in our basement which is a disgusting, humid and moldy carpet. I love the tiles. Was it difficult? Did you have to take a class or anything?
July 18th, 2005 at 1:16 pmhalloweenlover,
No, it isn’t difficult at all. We have done several rooms of tile. Having two people doing the work together is preferable, I was just being impatient on Saturday.
Originally I bought a book at Home Depot about how to tile and read through it. It really is easy and straight forward… however, my back and thighs are killing me from crouching down all day.
I think you should just go for it!
July 18th, 2005 at 1:33 pmAwesome! I’m so using the elephant line.
July 18th, 2005 at 1:34 pmSure, now I find the secret to do-it-yourself projects when kids are involved..elephants outside the window! I am going to use that. The floor looks great!
July 18th, 2005 at 2:33 pmOoooo pretty floor!
And all that other stuff. I wish I was like that with my kids. Willing to just let it go and encourage it. Good with distraction. Instead I get wrapped up and uptight. No fun for the kids and no fun for mommy.
July 18th, 2005 at 3:50 pmthanks Chris!
I just went on Home Depot’s website, and lo and behold, there is a “You Can Lay Ceramic Tile” workshop this Sunday! I think I will go, just for some confidence, and then ask the husband to tile with me for my birthday. Great present, no?
Thanks for the tip!
July 18th, 2005 at 4:46 pmWe search for monsters out our window. And when my two-year-old actually “finds” one, I ask her what color it is and then tell her I meant a different one. Maybe I do deserve that Meanest Mom Award my 7-year-old is constantly attributing to me.
July 18th, 2005 at 6:11 pmYou are my HERO!
July 18th, 2005 at 7:38 pmOhhh! It looks great! You can come do my floor any time and I will watch the littles!! They can play with my littles!! OI!
July 18th, 2005 at 8:45 pmHi. I’ve been reading your blog for a bit — you consistently make me laugh out loud. Thank you! I had to comment on your beautiful tile floor. I think I have the same tile in my sunroom; we had ours installed by a “professional” last year when we added on to our home — and yours looks just like ours does. I’m so impressed you took this on yourself! (My sis-in-law sells flooring, and said that this was discontinued when we bought it. If this is the same tile — is it wavy on the sides rather than straight? — we may have a few extras laying around here if you still need them.)
July 18th, 2005 at 9:43 pm- Cheryl, mom to 6 kids, ages 18 months to almost 9 years old, in southern WI
Oh, yeah- the floor looks awesome. I knew it would! And, oh I am so using the elephant thing. I might even get the laundry folded!
July 18th, 2005 at 10:18 pmFeel free to join me in the group of “bad” Little League mothers. How odd that we all have lots of children?!
I think the floor looks wonderful!
July 18th, 2005 at 11:29 pmWhat a nice floor!
July 19th, 2005 at 1:30 pmDon’t feel bad for “dividing and conquering!” As your kids get older it gets more and more difficult for both parents to attend sporting events due to more conflicts. Truthfully, even without conflicts I often don’t go if it won’t be a positive experience/environment for the little ones (bad weather–hot or cold or rainy, naptime, too long of an event, etc.) or we get a grandparent, older sibling or babysitter to stay with the littles if it’s something really important.
I have wanted to ask you for a while how on earth you and your hubby do big renovation projects together with all the kids there. Thanks for filling me in! Mine are older than yours, and I have an older daughter who is great at taking care of the little ones, and it still doesn’t happen. Between diaper changes, constant eating, putting kids down for naps, and driving kids places, I only have a few free minutes at a time to help, so usually D. does the work and I tend the kids.
July 19th, 2005 at 11:41 pmI love your parenting tactics…had to laugh at the elephant hunt, though…and awesome job on the floor, btw!
July 20th, 2005 at 10:49 amMore things you never thought you would hear yourself say (to my nephews)
Don’t sit on your brothers head
Hey, little man, stop singing and dancing and finish watching Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
If you want to swordfight, fine, but use the swords, not my shoes.
Boys are strange creatures
Love the floor
July 23rd, 2005 at 9:23 am[...] 10) But then you will distract the toddler and discreetly hide the book under your shirt, in the back waist band of your pants, or eat it. Depending on how tired you are of the book. Method of distraction is solely up to you, but I have found this one to be effective. Posted on August 29, 2006 by Chris @ 10:43 am [...]
August 29th, 2006 at 10:43 am