The Rescue

So it's been one of those weeks.  I was on the phone with Brian this morning and telling him how unmotivated I am to do anything.  This is so out of character for me...to a degree anyway.  I find my old self slipping away and I desperately want me back!  Something about this third baby has really done a number on me.  Nothing against Riley of course, but it's just the nature of things that it's harder to be as organized as I once was.  My old self is escaping me by the day it seems like.  It's like I've stepped out of my skin and I'm waving myself goodbye.  Blah, this is so depressing!  But, I typically spend a lot of my 'free' time working, as been pointed out to me by observers.  Clean after breakfast, give the kids a bath, Riley down for a nap, I shower, make lunch, clean after lunch, clean up all toys, all kids down for a nap, ME down for a nap.  But this week, nothing seemed to matter.  What's the point in cleaning up after breakfast when we are just gonna mess it up again at lunchtime?  What's the point in getting dressed if we are just staying home all day?  I spend most of my days in a night gown!  What's the point in showering if we are just going to be outside sweating in the heat or swimming in the pool?  This new me isn't sounding half bad, less work!  Oh, but I hate it when things are a wreck!  It makes me feel like I'm surrounded by chaos.  Everywhere you look just has a label that says 'Clean Me'.  And then I just start to feel claustrophobic in my own house as the piles of laundry and dirty dishes close in on me.  Get me outta here!!  It's not that hard to pick up after everything, it's neglecting it that becomes the problem.  What could have been 10 minutes worth of work becomes 30, then 45 then an hour.  Everybody just seems so much happier when things are in order.  Ugh, I've gotta bounce back from this!  

So just as I updated my 'status' on Facebook (which I rarely do) to say:  Someone save me from my rut!  Who comes to my rescue? 

WARNING:  THE FOLLOWING IMAGES YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE ARE GRAPHIC.  VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.  IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH POOP DO NOT CONTINUE.

This is the planner in me (which is not gone yet, thank goodness):  I set the kids up with Play-Doh in the kitchen while Riley was taking her nap so I could do some stuff, make a phone call, etc...  When Riley woke up from her nap I was finishing up my call to Netflix (of all people) so I just sort of plopped her in the floor, gave her a toy and went about my business.  Well next thing I know, she's on her stomach (which is what she always does now, she's really wanting to crawl) so I didn't think much about it.  But I did a double take at what she had in her hands.  It was poop!  Then my eyes scanned over to the trail that she had left behind her.  

*Heavy Sigh*  While taking her to the tub I decided to grab my camera.  My intention was to send the pics to Brian in an email with the subject line: Help!  I'm sure he will get a kick out of this considering the 'I don't want to clean' conversation we had earlier.  Then it occurred to me that people like taking pleasure in other's bad parenting and misfortune.  You know, as long as no one gets hurt.  So I hope you enjoy the course of events that followed. 

So Riley is is going in the bathtub, Ella and Aiden are in the kitchen with their Play-Doh.  Before the poop, they had made balls and were throwing them at each other...which was a red flag to me that they were getting bored and it was time to clean up.  So I threw a towel over the poopy carpet and told the kids to stay away from the poop.  I started washing up Riley and I noticed the poop on her face...oh, I hope she didn't eat any!  What do they put in this baby food that makes it so explosive? I mean all she had for breakfast were apples and bananas. How is it possible to do so much damage in such a short time?

I have to say though, there was something in her eye that told me she was enjoying this bath a little too much.  It's like she wanted to say "This one's for Aiden.  I'm getting you back for the noodle incident."  Meanwhile, Ella and Aiden went from throwing Play-Doh to chasing each other with it up and down the hall, and not in the ha-ha fun kind of way.  Ella was whining and crying, Aiden close on her heels and tackling her, and I was yelling at them to clean up and leave each other alone. 

I quickly got Riley dressed and exiled her to the Exersaucer.  What once was just a small mess before was a very big mess now.  Not only do I have to clean poop, but the blue and yellow Play-Doh smeared all over the kitchen and squished into the carpet down the hall.  Where to begin?  Well at this point, no where.  I'm a stickler for our schedule, and it was time to make lunch.  So I put a movie on for the kids and they ate their lunch on TV trays in the living room.  That's never happened before so I hope they don't hit me up for that tomorrow.  Then after lunch I cleaned the kitchen, the poop, the hall and vacuumed. 

As much as I don't want to admit it, there's something a little humbling about me being on my hands and knees scrubbing poop out of the carpet all the while having Riley sitting across from me grinning from ear to ear.  So thank you Riley for coming to my rescue.  Funny how things can come around full circle like that.  Thanks to her the house is clean, order is restored and we can all be happier for the rest of the day.  And as for me and my nightgown?  Well, you are going to have to pry it out of my cold dead fingers.