Hello Captive Audience, (hee, hee)
Our morning at the Westphal Home.
The Quest for a cup of coffee. Day started at 6:35 with a small boy asking for “o’s, please, Mama.” O.K., I’m up. What time is it? It’s still dark out. Why are you awake before 7:00?
Boy sits at counter. I pour o’s. I start to make coffee. Second boy is up. He is demanding oatmeal, loudly. Sent to his room for not asking nicely. Goes back up, loudly. Bleary eyed daughter arrives on scene. Asks politely for oatmeal. I start the oatmeal.
Boy 1 eats o’s, spills some, asks for papertowel and juice. Reformed boy arrives on scene, demands juice, loudly. Boy 2, (formerly reformed) is sent to room for more reformation. Give Boy 1 juice. Girl asks for water. Twice-reformed boy returns. He says “please” at a reasonable decibel level. Oatmeal is finished. Where was I on the coffee? Boy 1 says his tummy hurts. He has to go potty. Take boy 1 to potty. Boy two demands juice, loudly, while we are in the bathroom.
Girl needs bathrobe. Boy 1 is going “beeps”. Boy 2 has mysteriously quieted down. Wash hands, return from bathroom, help girl with robe. Boy 2 is eating grapes; quietly. Boy 1 says his tummy hurts, he lays on couch and asks for “big blue” (The wonder blanket). Settle Boy 1 on couch.
Coffee? I actually start the coffeepot. Little girl has finished breakfast, and heads upstairs to play, two boys join her. Big bleary-eyed boy arrives on scene, needs to cuddle. I take advantage of this for two minutes. Other children need the “tea set”. I explain the location and they get it ALL ON THEIR OWN. I hear them playing. I pour a cup of coffee.
Little girl wants to have a tea party. I tell her to set the little table. She goes up for more cups. She reports there’s been an accident, upstairs. It’s the liquid kind. Boy 1 has had an accident upstairs, on the tea set. I ban the children from the room and first, clean up the little offender, and find new clothing.
He goes potty, boy #2 goes potty, Sarah goes potty, Tim goes potty. I begin clean up upstairs. It was not a little accident. I put the offended pieces of the tea set in a bowl and give it to Tim to give to Sarah to put in the sink to be washed. The bowl spills in the hallway. A blanket and several toys, and parts of the floor mat have also been offended and must be cleaned. Get that done, start the laundry. Clean up hallway. Employ two older kids to help wash tea set in bath tub (so little spoons don’t go down sink drain.) Leave to help boys solve dispute. Find another liquid accident. Not that kind. Boy #1 has spilled Tim’s water bottle all over the top of a tote. The fan is standing in the middle of the puddle. Yes, the fan is on. It is creating waves in the puddle. Carefully shut off fan and go to get a towel in the bathroom. Briefly explain why electricity and water are NOT friends.
Arrive to find big boy standing in tub of water with teaset. He couldn’t reach the cups. Bring towel upstairs and wipe up water (and fan). Mediate another small dispute between boys. Help wash and dry tea set. Wipe up water on bathroom floor. Supervise the tea party.
Our morning at the Westphal Home.
The Quest for a cup of coffee. Day started at 6:35 with a small boy asking for “o’s, please, Mama.” O.K., I’m up. What time is it? It’s still dark out. Why are you awake before 7:00?
Boy sits at counter. I pour o’s. I start to make coffee. Second boy is up. He is demanding oatmeal, loudly. Sent to his room for not asking nicely. Goes back up, loudly. Bleary eyed daughter arrives on scene. Asks politely for oatmeal. I start the oatmeal.
Boy 1 eats o’s, spills some, asks for papertowel and juice. Reformed boy arrives on scene, demands juice, loudly. Boy 2, (formerly reformed) is sent to room for more reformation. Give Boy 1 juice. Girl asks for water. Twice-reformed boy returns. He says “please” at a reasonable decibel level. Oatmeal is finished. Where was I on the coffee? Boy 1 says his tummy hurts. He has to go potty. Take boy 1 to potty. Boy two demands juice, loudly, while we are in the bathroom.
Girl needs bathrobe. Boy 1 is going “beeps”. Boy 2 has mysteriously quieted down. Wash hands, return from bathroom, help girl with robe. Boy 2 is eating grapes; quietly. Boy 1 says his tummy hurts, he lays on couch and asks for “big blue” (The wonder blanket). Settle Boy 1 on couch.
Coffee? I actually start the coffeepot. Little girl has finished breakfast, and heads upstairs to play, two boys join her. Big bleary-eyed boy arrives on scene, needs to cuddle. I take advantage of this for two minutes. Other children need the “tea set”. I explain the location and they get it ALL ON THEIR OWN. I hear them playing. I pour a cup of coffee.
Little girl wants to have a tea party. I tell her to set the little table. She goes up for more cups. She reports there’s been an accident, upstairs. It’s the liquid kind. Boy 1 has had an accident upstairs, on the tea set. I ban the children from the room and first, clean up the little offender, and find new clothing.
He goes potty, boy #2 goes potty, Sarah goes potty, Tim goes potty. I begin clean up upstairs. It was not a little accident. I put the offended pieces of the tea set in a bowl and give it to Tim to give to Sarah to put in the sink to be washed. The bowl spills in the hallway. A blanket and several toys, and parts of the floor mat have also been offended and must be cleaned. Get that done, start the laundry. Clean up hallway. Employ two older kids to help wash tea set in bath tub (so little spoons don’t go down sink drain.) Leave to help boys solve dispute. Find another liquid accident. Not that kind. Boy #1 has spilled Tim’s water bottle all over the top of a tote. The fan is standing in the middle of the puddle. Yes, the fan is on. It is creating waves in the puddle. Carefully shut off fan and go to get a towel in the bathroom. Briefly explain why electricity and water are NOT friends.
Arrive to find big boy standing in tub of water with teaset. He couldn’t reach the cups. Bring towel upstairs and wipe up water (and fan). Mediate another small dispute between boys. Help wash and dry tea set. Wipe up water on bathroom floor. Supervise the tea party.
Finally, take sip of rather cold coffee. Rejoice that my children are happy and healthy. Take picture of tea party. Glance at clock, not even 8. My day has begun.
I have a class full of three year olds that have been having "accidents" (not all just the wet kind)all week! Some FIVE in one day!!
ReplyDeleteWanna trade?