Maddening Monday

I usually stay home on Mondays trying to get the house tidied up and cleaned from the wreckage that happens on week-ends. I have also designated it as my laundry day. Not all of it gets done, since I do have two children who require my attention and time, but we get as much as we can without any rush.

Today, after laying Charlton down for a nap, I spent some time with James reading books and playing puzzles. Then, I told him to go and ride his bike, while I cleaned up the house and did the laundry. When Charlton woke up, we ate some lunch and then had the boys play in the living room with legos and blocks. I checked my email and read the news. After a few minutes, I hear James calling my name. He had clogged the toilet, the water had flooded all over the floor, and he didn't know what to do. I had him wash his hands and take his crocks to the laundry room to be washed. I spent almost fifteen minutes with the disgusting toilet, and I had it finally working. I just needed to clean the floor, but I wasn't ready for it. I needed a break from the bathroom. I washed my hands, changed my shoes, then sat down to finish my reading. I'm disturbed by the lack of noise in my house. I called James' name and he sat up from his coach and said that he was napping. When I asked where Charlton was, he said he didn't know.

You can imagine that at this point my heart is racing. Charlton isn't like my other three kids, calm and obedient. He is very independent and at this stage he loves to explore. I call his name and look everywhere. No sound or sight of Charlton anywhere. I go to the front yard. It's all quiet and I don't see Charlton anywhere. I'm absolutely freaking out. In fifteen minutes he could have gone anywhere, and because he is very friendly and wants everyone to hold him, as far as I was concerned at that moment he was lost. I look in the backyard, and notice the gate was left open by James earlier when he was riding his bike. I ran out and found Charlton's bottle on the ground right before you enter my parking lot. I was shivering all over. I said a fervent prayer and went to get my keys so I could drive around the neighborhood. Just as I'm getting in the car, the landlord's wife, who lives right behind us, comes holding Charlton in her arms, with Charlton's head on her shoulder, as if this boy knew this woman all his life. I wanted to beat him up, but at that moment he gave me a flirtatious smile and I'm disarmed. I grabbed him and kissed him as if there was no tomorrow. As I explained what happened to the landlord's wife, she also described how she had happened to find Charlton. Master Charlton was walking and strolling around her beautiful yard amongst the flowers and roses. As her husband starts getting ready to mow the lawn, they noticed this little elf enjoying himself amongst the garden. He, then, sees them and happily goes to greet them always smiling. She said that Charlton raised his arms for her to pick him up and was happily situated in her embrace. We all laughed and I cried. And then I looked at myself and got embarrassed. You see it was two o'clock and my children and I were still in pyjamas. I'm sure she thought I was taking a nap, instead of cleaning the stupid toilet (excuse my language).

After a very quick shower, I take my kids to pick up the older ones. We barely made it on time. We picked up Gillian's friend, Mary, and I dropped them off at the church for their Activity Days. I get home and I'm in a frenzy. The missionaries were coming to dinner at five, and I had just a little over an hour to get dinner on the table, take care of Charlton and the boys' snack, and clean the blasted bathroom.

I put Charlton down for a nap, gave the boys some snack, prepared some dinner and put in the oven to cook, and then embarked into cleaning you-know-what. I mopped the kitchen floor and the bathroom floor, gave the boys towels to dry the floors quickly, and then washed up.

The food wasn't ready when the missionaries got here, but the bathroom was spic and span, and although they didn't use it at all, I felt at peace.

After the missionaries left, we hurried to do Family Home Evening, and Elijah took it upon himself to be in charge of the activity, telling the children he had a special field trip he wanted to take them on. At this point, I'm so ready for the kids to get ready for bed, but I played along. The field trip was to the... yes, you guessed... bathroom. Elijah was very funny and couldn't stop laughing as the children showed disappointment in their dad's choice of field trip. I started smiling when he taught the kids how many squares of the toilet paper we use in the bathroom, and asking them what happens when they use more than they should. All in unison, they said that the toilet get clogged and mom gets angry.

We finished our evening by reading a few pages from "A Christmas Carol." The children were tired, I was frustrated, but we kept going. After a while, I realized we weren't in the right mood to read, and sent them all upstairs.

Was it true that I could really relax? What a day!

Have you had a day when you laughed, cried, and almost had a heart attack all in the same day?

What a day!