Think Martha Would Know?

 

I still have another vacation entry to add, but I've been too busy to update.  I ended our vacation by picking up two 11pm - 7am shifts at work on Sunday and Monday.  Although the extra money helps, Mike gets worried when I pick up extra hours because he knows how tired I am when I come home.   Being exhausted from working all night and then having to watch two rambunctious toddler's is not a good combination.   I always tell him, "don't worry, I can handle it."  Well, apparently I can't.....

I arrived home this morning at 7:15am.... My body always takes at least an hour to wind down before I can relax enough to sleep. By 8:30am both toddler's were up.... I brought them into the livingroom and closed the gate to lock them in.  I gave each of my *little angels* some dry cereal and a sippy cup of milk. I turned on their favorite TV show and then decided to lie down on the couch.  I planned on waking my teen in a half hour to watch them when I went to bed to sleep for a few hours.  I foolishy and delusively thought, "I've got it all under control..."

At 9am, Spencer wakes me saying...."Mom, the kids got into white out."   My eyes fly open and there before me are the toddlers covered from head to toe in liquid paper. Apparently they snuck into the desk drawer and found not one, but TWO bottles of liquid paper.  One for each of them, Oh, happy day.  Both had painted white stripes on their faces, Sammi even pretended to put on lipstick.  Arms, legs, feet and hands are also covered.   

Why?????  Why can't I close my eyes for 15 minutes without them immediately getting into something they shouldn't?  Even when I think I have all the bases covered, they find a way to get into mischief.  Truly makes it hard for me to clean the house or take a shower during the day.  When will they grow out of this stage?  Oh PLEASE let this just be a stage.  My Mom told me recently that she could never babysit my children.  She said if she did, she would have to spank them.  And although I admit that hurt my feelings, I totally understand where she is coming from.  :::sigh:::And so, I began the process of trying to remove the evidence of my lapse in attention. 

 First I tried to wash them off with baby wipes, not working.  Then I used soap and water.... not working.  I make the water warmer, add more soap and begin scraping the skin with my fingernail to remove it, barely working.  Next, I try using nail polish remover to remove the areas from their legs and feet.  Working a bit better, but now I'm worried that this method is too harsh for their sensitive skin.  So I fill the bathtub up with bubbles and pop both of them in to soak.  Surely a good soak will soften up the liquid paper so I can wash it off.  After a 35 minute bath, that darn white out still won't come off even while scrubbing vigorously.  I tried mineral oil, just made the liquid paper shiny and the skin soft.  In desperation I logged on to *Ask Jeeves*....  Their recommendation?  Use soap and water....  Thanks Jeeves, it's not working. 

Mike will be home in 45 minutes and I will have to admit that he was right. He was right that I shouldn't pick up extra hours, that I can't handle being sleep deprived and keeping our children out of mischief.  Sad truth is, I can barely keep them out of mischief on a full nights sleep...

Kind of ironic that liquid paper, a product that is meant to conceal errors, is now a glaring visual reminder of my error in judgement, in parenting.  No concealing that this morning. 

Well, off to call the pediatrician.  Maybe they'll have an idea....