A Smashing Good Time

Thanks to a beautiful and intelligent friend of mine (you know who you are!) my children got the idea to stand on chairs and dabble in the water as it runs from the kitchen tap. I thought, “Well, golly, I can get them to wash a dish or two and clean their hands at the same time, so what’s the harm?”

Fateful words…

A few days ago, I had planned a morning at the park, then an early afternoon game of Scrabble with another stay home parent pal. The DH gave the boys breakfast as I did my tired best to scrape together an outfit, wash the face and apply SPF 30 to every inch of exposed skin that might get a second of sunshine at some point during the morning. Once I was armed for the day, I got the DH out the door, with his ironed shirt on and his lunch is his hands, got the boys changed and dressed, and saw it was 8:30. I needed to find a way to amuse them, hands off, for about half an hour while I got the laundry on the line and the lunch/snack/sippy cup bag packed for us so we could leave the house by 9:00. I know! I'll let them play with the sink! So, I took off their clothes, except their tee shirts, and turned on the kitchen tap to a trickle. “Wash those plastic breakfast bowls and cups, fellas!” I invited, and they started splashing away.

While they were occupied I got the wash on the line and started getting the cups filled and the snacks packed. Suddenly I heard what sounded like a land mine detonating in the sink. I turned around and saw a glass, made of heavy, restaurant quality glass, had been overlooked on the dish rack. Baby B had reached for it, it had slipped from his grasp, hit the edge of the enamel sink, and had exploded all over the sink, the counter, the floor, the side of the cabinet, the baby’s bare limbs, bare feet and all over the floor. The glass literally smashed in a thousand teeny, tiny pieces.

I stood there for about one-tenth of a second and processed the situation – two babies, naked limbs, broken glass, wet floor, me alone, Sweet bearded Jesus - before my 21 months of mother emergency training kicked in. I grabbed my boys and the phone, hustled up to the bathroom, shut the door, rinsed Baby B’s limbs in the tub, swished the water hard down the drain to rinse away the glass, got the splinter out of his thumb, settled him in the tub with his shirt on (why not?) to play with the bathtub faucet, and checked Baby A for glass (all clear!) and nursed him, because he was crying and upset by my interruption of his games. All the while I was calling my two neighbors, my pal down the street and another lady I know who lives about five minutes drive away. All lines either went to voice mail, or were busy. Hmmmm... So I shut the boys in the bathroom, and went downstairs to get the mess condensed at least, so they could walk on the floor.

Baby A was not going to let that happen. While I was downstairs, I could hear him flinging his body against the bathroom door, howling like a pack of slavering wolves were going to gobble him up. I couldn’t think straight, so I called the DH, to get grounded.

DH: Hi Honey, how is everything?
Me: Oh, we’re fine. Except Baby B smashed a glass in the sink and the floor is covered in tiny bits of glass, the babies aren’t wearing any clothes, and the neighbors aren’t home to help me clean it up/keep the babies out of the kitchen. I’d do it all by myself, but Baby A is hysterical without me; I think he’s a little tired.
DH: Should I come home?

Bless him; I have the nicest, most helpful guy on the planet. Well, at least in this state and the neighboring ones. However, as we were on the phone, I realized I know someone who doesn’t go to work until 10:30. It was only 9:15 at this point, so I called her up. Busy signal. This time I didn’t look for another option; I called the Operator, asked her to interrupt the call, and then called back.

Lady: Hello? MOT? Are you okay?
Me: Oh, I’m fine and the boys are fine. Except Baby B smashed a glass in the sink and the floor is covered in tiny bits of glass, the babies aren’t wearing any clothes, and no one else seems to be home to help keep the babies out of the kitchen while I clean it up.
Lady: I’ll be over in five minutes.

Bless her! I have the nicest, most helpful friends and neighbors on the planet. This lady has three children of her own and four little grandchildren, ages 6 months to 3 years old, so she certainly understood the situation.

To bring a long story to a close, she came over and played with the boys in the tub, while I took the twenty minutes I needed to wash the counters, sink, floor, and cabinets; put all the plastic plates that were around into the dishwasher, put the dishcloths and the babies’ clothes into the washing machine, put the trash bag of broken glass into the garage, get new clothes and diapers ready, and go over the floor one more time to be safe. Then, and only then, could the two of us get the boys dressed and into the garden to play.

With a morning like that, I was a bit wary as to what the rest of the day would bring, but the rest of the day was great! They took nice, long naps and I won the Scrabble game by about 40 points! Since my opponent is a smart cookie, who has always won before, it wasn’t easy. Isn’t it amazing how a near death experience can sharpen your mind?

Just another day in the life of the MOT. How was your day?