Preface: I started this post last Tuesday night. I finished it this morning but somehow my computer didn't save after I clicked save and I had to start the last half over again. So it's a few days late but after you read it you may understand why. I know I can't be the only one! Please share with me your day to day!!
I have insomnia. I go for a couple of weeks without much sleep and then I sleep, really super hard for two weeks at the most. Right now I'm in a super hard sleep week. In the wee hours of the morning I hear the screams and I can't move. Dave wakes up and sits there so I tell him it's Brody. He gets up and runs to our son while I still can't move and I'm seeing strange patterns in my vision. I never heard Dave come back and I never heard the alarm go off four times. I never made Dave his breakfast, poor guy. But I had to wake up when the baby was plopped into bed with me and I got a kiss good-bye from Dave. Rhys slides off the bed and heads for the bathroom. He emerges with his tongue sticking out, Dave's deodorant in one hand and my toothbrush in the other. He has licked the deodorant and decides to brush his teeth with my toothbrush. I take it all away and wipe his mouth out. Rhys wants breakfast.......right now. So I go downstairs and make us a nice healthy one consisting of vanilla yogurt with granola and blueberries. Rhys and I go back upstairs and Brody wakes up much later than usual after his night of nightmares and cuddling with Daddy. He wants to play a video game.........right now. So I set the timer for ten minutes, being too tired for arguing, and turn on "the racing game." I decide to call my brother while the boys are occupied because I told him I'd call him yesterday. We talk for a little bit and Brody decides that this course is too hard, and no I don't want the motorcycle and Rhys "stop touching the control because you're going to mess me up." I just get him going and happy when the timer goes off. I'm still talking on the phone and turn everything off which sets Brody to screaming. Still trying to have some kind of a conversation I tell him to cry in his room if he's going to be that loud but he refuses and screams all the more. He gets a scolding from me and then lays on the floor. So Rhys decides to climb and step on him which sets Brody to screaming. I pull Rhys off and he tries to be more careful which makes Brody happy for about two seconds. Rhys decides that it's too boring to be gentle and sits on Brody's head. This kind of thing goes on until I hang up and Brody decides that he is ready to eat. We all head downstairs and Brody eats a bagel. I tell him I need to call his grandparents and ask a quick question and he says it's okay he'll be quiet. So I call. But of course he isn't quiet and I try to hurry with my phone call. Brody finishes his bagel and we go into the other room. I make the ultimate mistake of sitting on the floor with them. They decide that they both need me.........right now. And I become swarmed with only two boys....how can all that swarming be only two boys?! I am screaming and being violently attacked while my dad listens in helpless at the other end of the phone line. They think this is hilarious and I can't help but laugh. But it's the only laughter for the rest of the day. When I finish my conversation, less hair, more bruises and ten minutes later, I notice that something stinks. "Brody, did you go stinky this morning?" "Yes, Momma." "Did you wipe your buns?" "Ummmmm, no." As I turn around, I notice that Rhys has undressed himself and removed his diaper. Up we go to the bathroom for a bath. A quick one, as we are supposed to meet Dave for lunch. I turn the water on and get Brody ready to get in just as Rhys grabs the pump off of the baby wash bottle and drops the whole thing into the half full tub. (Notice at this point I am still saying half full.) It has turned into a bubble bath which now neither child wants to leave. Too bad. When the bath is over Brody wants to watch his Pooh movie.........right now. Realizing this will keep him out from underfoot as I prepare lunch I turn it on for him. It is now 11:46 and we are supposed to be leaving. It is a cold day so I make Mac and Cheese. Remembering that I need to print a coupon for a book I need before Saturday I get on-line while the water is boiling. Dave sends me an instant message and wants to know why I'm still at home. When I explain the stinky pants he is understanding and asks if I would rather stay home. I have already started our lunch and kept the baby up from his nap and the are expecting to go see Daddy so I press on. I yell to Brody to put on his socks and shoes. Two minutes later he hasn't moved so I tell him again and he argues. I tell him to put his socks and shoes on...........right now. He does. I throw our lunch into a bag and we head out. I try to take a quicker route and I'm so concentrated on how to get to his work that way that it's where I go instead of our pre-arranged meeting place. I'm at a red light at the intersection by his building. But wait! What's this? Dave is crossing the street right in front of me on his way to our meeting place. I scream out the window but he has his iPhone earbuds in his ears. I try a few more times and he looks my way. I quickly clear a spot on the front seat and he runs to get in. As he opens the door and climbs in he accidentally kicks one of Brody's toys out the door and into the street but it rolls under the car out of reach. Brody starts crying and the light turns green. I make my turn and Dave said something that confused me so I pulled into his office parking lot. I asked him which way to go and in my confusion I step on the brake instead of the gas. I pull into a parking spot telling him that I am unsafe to drive at this point and we head toward our dear fountain where we normally eat down the street. But Brody is still crying and begging for Daddy to get his toy. We drive that direction and see his toy rolling all over the place in the face of traffic. Dave makes a u-turn and pulls into a gas station. He gets out and crosses the street in hopes of being able to get the toy. Success!! Now it's too late to get to the fountain so we go back to his office building and park. Brody wants to sit in Daddy's lap so Dave gets him out of his seat. In my haste to leave home I forgot forks and plates. Luckily, I remember before Dave leaves his office so I call him and he grabs a couple of forks. Dave decides he better sit in the back and feed Rhys off the lid of the storage container so he hops in the back of the van and Brody sits in front with me. Dave can't feed himself and Rhys while holding the lid and the fork. Brody is very squirmy and I decide it will be easier if I just feed him instead of cleaning the carpet. So, Dave feeds Rhys, I feed Dave and Brody and myself. Then lunch is over and Dave has to go back inside leaving me to finish feeding Rhys and Brody. Now, I need to run over to Borders and buy Tony Curtis' new book, American Prince. We are going to the Jules Verne Festival on Saturday and Tony Curtis will be there! I park and take the boys in the store. I search where I saw it last with no luck but it's hard to read the titles when Brody is whining at me every 10 seconds that he is ready to go in the elevator. Finally, I say yes and when someone else pushes the button before he gets there he starts to cry. When we do get to the second floor it is completely torn apart and they are rearranging everything. I look for the right section and stumble upon a book called Coraline: A Visual Companion. My friend Shane Prigmore did the character design so I try to see if he's in it but Rhys will not hold still and keeps running away. I chase him down three times and finally get a good hold on his wrist but he decides it will be a good idea if he goes limp. I decide it's not a good idea and a battle of wills ensues. I win but he continues to scream. I give up looking through Coraline (sorry Shane) and continue my search for the section I need. I find it but no American Prince. So I ask a twenty something girl if she knows where I can find Tony Curtis' autobiography. I am shocked and stand there...stunned....staring at her....when she asks, "Who's he? I've never heard of him." Realizing that my reaction was not even close to being hidden I stammer, "I'm sorry, I just can't believe that you've never heard of him." I regain my composure and she looks in the computer for the book. It's downstairs. Off we head to the elevator where Brody is happy because he gets to push the button this time. Holding a writhing Rhys, I find my book! When I go to pay, I sit Rhys on the counter because he's stinkin' heavy. Not a good idea. He finds the can of pencils....and the gift cards.....and the candy. Now Brody is begging for a candy bar, No, now a ball, No. On the way out he just has to play with a ball for a second. We leave and head for the car. Rhys doesn't want to go in the car and makes his body just as straight and stiff as he can. When I finally get us on the road Rhys is screeching and Brody is yelling at him to stop. Fifteen minutes later we get home and I put Rhys' to bed. Brody wants to play his Happy Meal game. We go upstairs and I turn on the computer. The doorbell rings and I run for it because the doorbell is right outside the door of the room where Rhys is sleeping. If I take too long getting to the door and it's the neighbor boys then the younger one will start pounding on the door. I did, it is and he does. They want their ball from my backyard. I go to get their ball and Brody starts crying because I won't let him go outside with me because he doesn't have his shoes on. I throw the ball back over the fence and argue with Brody all the way back upstairs about his shoes. We sit down and I put the laptop on my lap when the doorbell rings again. I take off again but not fast enough because there is now pounding. They need their ball again so I go and throw it back again but this time Brody doesn't argue. Whew! We get settled again and, wait, what's that? Yes, the doorbell again. I go down again and throw the ball over again and go upstairs again and just sit down again, when the baby starts to cry. I get him and while he is playing we make another attempt at the computer. Rhys loves the computer, especially the power button. He pushes it, Brody screams and I restart the computer. This happens a couple of times and the boys decide they need a snack. We all head downstairs and get something to eat. It must be nearly time for Dave to get off work. I glance at the clock and it's 2:30. SIGH It's about this time that I remember it's Date Night and my sister will be bringing her two boys over for us to babysit. I don't remember much between this realization and the time that my sister's family arrived at my house so I'll pick it up from there. Our four boys love each other and have so much fun together.....at a very high volume. After my sister and her husband leave and Dave gets home we have dinner. When it's all over and the milk is spilled by the baby and the potatoes are flung and half the dinner is uneaten the boys go play. I clean up and Dave plays with the boys. Finally, it's bedtime and they all get ready for bed. We put Rhys in the guest room so that Dave can paint his room. The three other boys all decide to sleep in Brody's room. There is argument over the nighttime music and where one should sleep and I need more blanket. They finally settle in and we tuck them in for the night.....or at least a few minutes. Dave goes to paint Rhys' room and I start this blog post. First the oldest one come out because the younger one needs a drink of water. I get the water and take it to him. I sit down and a few minutes later the oldest comes out again the complain that the little boys are too loud and he can't hear the The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd. I go in and tell the little ones to settle down. Then I try again myself to settle in on the couch. Next the oldest one and the youngest one emerge to complain that the other little one keeps wanting them to move because he doesn't like where he is laying. I go in and settle everyone in again. Next the little one I just settled appears and says he wants the others to move. I offer to let him sleep in my bed and he agrees so I tuck him in there and head for the couch yet again. A few minutes later I hear crying coming from my room. I go in and check on him and he tells me that he needs his shirts. These are his comfort items so I go into Brody's room to get them. I open the door to hear the two boys talking at the same time. The little one is telling the older one a story and the older one is telling him to stop so he can hear Dr. Floyd. I quiet them both, get the shirts and take them to the little one on my bed. He settles in and I drag myself to the couch. But a few minutes later I hear knocking on the front door and go down to let my sister and brother in law in the house. Dave comes out to say hi and says, "They went right down. No one even got up!"
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