The day we didn’t have to look back on to laugh. Some days are just crazy. In my house, the days are definitely lively. Some days it feels like a zoo and I have a house full of wild animals. Friday was a lively one. I wanted to say it started “normal” but it didn’t. My best friend had spent the night because she had been helping watch some kids for appointments. She decided to stay for a few days to help out. My daughter needed extra help, as she was a little more distracted that day getting snow pants on. Don’t get me started with kids in snow gear! We get out the door with 10 minutes til school starts but snow pants are just too heavy for a kindergartener to walk quickly. So the game of leapfrog began!
It started with me pushing the stroller as I always do but seeing the struggling kindergartner I decided I would piggyback her part of the way. Yes, I have done this before but bare in mind she is approximately 35lbs without a snowsuit. So I get her up and pass off the stroller to my friend. I get across the two streets to then see my 9-year-old falling behind. Why would he be falling behind? Two backpacks are too much weight for him on this particular day. So placing my child down I tell her “Walk and don’t look back keep walking!” To my great surprise, she continued walking! Running back to the struggling child, my friend runs with the stroller to catch up to the one in front. I catch up to the 9-year-old and grab the backpack and rush him along. He starts to struggle with his bag so here I am taking two bags and rushing to now catch back up with the rest of the group. Normally my son would be so eager to race me to school but his morning had no energy to do so. We made it! A minute to spare! Quick kisses and hugs and have a good day. Job one, complete! I wish I could say the day’s excitement ends there but this is mild compared to the rest of the day.
We have a lovely walk back home. Fresh snow covered the ground so the toddler enjoyed some time in the snow. As he was enjoying his time I decide the baby should go inside where it is nice and warm. As I go to open the door it didn’t open. The door got locked behind us. Today was the day I didn’t take my keys. I turned to my friend did she have her key? Nope, she had taken it out to accommodate the mittens my son needed to wear. Locked out! Now how do we get in? Thankful my husband was working from home that day. Easy fix, call him. Reach for my phone. It’s inside the house. My friend has her phone and texts him. Calls him …… calls again. No answer. Making the most of the moment while we wait for my husband to see our attempts to gain his attention. I pull my son around the yard on a sled. He was having the most AWESOME TIME EVER… being locked out because he is outdoors!!! About 20 minutes after not getting an answer I got a brilliant idea on how to get my husband’s attention. Quickly walking away from the toddler so he doesn’t follow. I go around my house and pray that the snowstorm the night before didn’t make a giant drift pressing up against the back gate. To my relief, I was able to open the gate to find the drift started the distance the door needed to open! Now to find the window. It was gone completely buried under snowdrifts! Here I am digging like a dog as fast as I could to get to the window. A minute later I am waving at my husband through the window. He smiles and waves back. I keep waving yelling we are locked out. He keeps waving. He was in a meeting, headphones on, and unaware that we couldn’t get in the house. Finally after a few minutes of yelling, “Come rescue us!” he removes the headphones and I go running to the front door. We made it. Tea was well received and deserved!
Lunchtime fast approached. Kids were fed and put up for naps. Starting with the toddler as the baby needed to be nursed. As I nurse the baby, my friend and husband work hard at making us some lunch. I go upstairs to put the little one to bed and see to my horror a naked boy with a face covered in blood! The smell of poop wafting from the room and the sight of him caught red-handed climbing the stairs to his brother’s bed. Calling for my husband, he comes running thinking the baby has spat up all over. Taking in the sight I have already seen, forgetting about lunch. He quickly starts to clean. The toddler hid the diaper. Yes! Hidden! I get the baby into the crib and quickly fill the tub. The only way to clean the bloody nose and poop that was over this child. As I clean the child, my husband cleans the room, the stairs to the bunk, and strips the oldest bed. I finish up with the toddler and put him back for a nap. I come down to eat the meal we had started to prepare, to find more chaos! The sauce pouches for spring rolls had been forgotten in the oven to warm up. Thank goodness for my friend otherwise it would have been a bigger disaster! This wasn’t even noon! Naptime was successful and I don’t think we moved. We laughed and talked in disbelief about our morning.
The chaos of raising this zoo.!
