What I Really Meant.

Today all three of my boys are just sick enough to not really be able to play outside, to not have anyone over for a playdate, and to not go to our friends' house for supper tonight. This is a recipe for a disasterous day. Bitter disappointment, cagey, irritable boys, and snot juices flowing to beat the band.

So, today this Mama decided to pull out all of the stops and try to make today be a really fun, cozy, stay inside, forget about your woes kind of a day.

Emphasis on TRY.

::I pulled out my old Easy Bake Oven along with a newer version that I picked up on clearance months ago. I have boys - but they're still all about the food, and they love making their own indiviual cakes and cookies, so I thought for sure this would be a special treat.

What really happened: The big oven handles became swords, the mini cakes were eaten in one bite with a somewhat disgusted look of "Was that ALL?", and when my back was turned, so much of the batter was eaten, that what was left to stick in those little dinky ovens wasn't worth the eight minutes it took that lightbulb to cook anything.



::No worries. On to plan B. There's a heavy frost warning for tonight, so I brought in a few of our pumpkins and figured we'd spend the rest of the morning carving our own, making some silly faces, and toasting the seeds for a snack.

(Check out that bit of rockin' bedhead!)

What really happened: The pumpkins were carved - amidst a running, delighted dialogue of how the guts of the pumpkin felt like snot and brains. The seeds were toasted, and all but Ransom were far less than impressed. But, they WERE gleefully eaten in front of the carvings with a few goulish - "Look guys! We're eating your brains!" AND, while I was completely oblivious to the goings on around me - grapes, extra seeds, and bubble wrap were stuffed inside the pumpkins and lit on fire "to watch them smoke."




::The festivities wound down, lunch was eaten, and Ransom was put down to nap. So, I sent the big boys into the living room to play quietly while I cleaned up our epic mess in the kitchen from this morning, and started with our supper prep. They were quiet, they played well, and I thought they were reading books in front of the fire.


What really happened: A pirate ship fort was built, every single animal was brought forth from their bedroom, and virtually every blanket and towel in the entire house was put to use.



::So, Epic mess from kitchen was cleaned and simply moved into the living room. The boys readied themselves for rest time, and the fort stayed in place for after nap festivites. This Mama shut the door behind her Lovlies and brewed herself a hot pot of tea - preparing for her two hours of quiet sanity, where directly following this time of gentle respite, chaos would again reign supreme until bedtime.

What I'm really thinking: Praise Jesus for naps.