Reconnaissance Before Hygiene

When an opportunity presents itself each morning I quietly sneak away to shower and get ready for the day. Since the time we have had kids, such opportunities have come with a certain price. When we lived in Arizona I was unpleasantly surprised at what my kids were doing while I was in the shower as opposed to what I thought they should be doing. One morning I entered our living room to find Addie with the tub of butter lathering her skin for a soft, supple feel. My assumptions were obviously a bit too grand as I had always thought there was no way my two year old could pull open our fridge door. I rarely entertained the possibilities for catastrophe looming in our kitchen.

The next morning I barricaded the fridge with our kitchen table and every chair I could find. I did this thinking I was smarter than the average bear or two year old. Ahem. Who knew Addie possessed bionic strength once the hunger pains hit? Her drive for a little snack after breakfast was obviously quite fierce. The barricade didn't stop her and she found a very large chocolate muffin, which she decided would best be devoured in our living room while transfixed by PBS cartoons. Day two of trying to take a shower and finding a mess in my living room afterward was becoming a bit irritating. The aftermath of the muffin eating was severe and I was shocked by the large mess one muffin could make. When questioning Emery as to why she didn't stop Addie I noticed remnants of chocolate muffin around her mouth thus explaining the simple shrug to my deep inquiry.

So was I surprised this morning to find my Dashle in similar fashion to his sisters in times past? No. In fact, he left virtually no mess at all and was thoughtful enough to contain his crumbs in the toy basket. The look on his face was priceless and unforgettable as I tromped down the stairs making direct eye contact with his big browns. It was a face that said, "Uh-oh. Is mom going to take my chips away and tell me no-no?" I'm sure he nearly fainted with shock by my reaction. I put a little grin on my face and asked him if his chips were good. And he said, "Mmmmm!" followed by a big grin of his own.

My friends that is what I call effective self-restraint. I'm either very ready to birth a baby and thus I could care less about things which would normally drive me insane OR my prayerful pleas to heaven for more patience with my kids are being answered. It's a toss up!