Friday, March 27, 2009

Whats the Road to Hell Paved With?



As I type this, my 4 year old is trapped in the garage like a caged monkey whose been given a shot of espresso and my 1 year old is running laps up and down the hallway with a pizza crust in hand. How did it get to this? Lets go back to 45 minutes ago.....
My 4 year old asked if he could paint. He hasn't painted in a long time and I like to encourage these types of activities.
"Sure!" I said. No biggie, right? I can entertain the 1 year old while he paints a couple of pictures.
Yeah....that road to hell.....is about to get resurfaced.
So I set him up with his paints in the garage and I get out some toys for the baby. He is just excited to get to play in the garage. All is well.
For 10 minutes.
Soon the luster of a new activity wears off for both kids. The 1 year old starts to get bored with the toys are starts to wander. He sticks his finger in the paint. This sets off the 4 year old. I clean him up and get him distracted again. Then he goes in the house. I chase him. 4 year old stops painting and is running in circles in the garage. I remind him why he is out there and get the baby back with us.
Baby wanders back in the house and climbs up to the kitchen table and helps himself to his brothers left over pizza crust and goes back into the garage. Painting has again stopped and now someone is letting the dog lick the pizza crust. I break up the dog/pizza/baby kiss fest and redirect the little artist back to his masterpiece. I foolishly turn my back and find said pizza crust now being used as a knocker on the garage door.
Paints are abandoned yet again and now both kids are running in circles.
I asked if we are done with this activity and for the fifth time painting ensues.
As I chase one kid who's now heading down the hallway pushing a kitchen chair, I hear my son yell out that "some paint accidentally jumped out of the cup and got up there."
This is when I put the baby gate up and locked one child in the garage and the other in the house, and sat down on the chair that my youngest just took for a joyride.
By the way, Im pretty that painting that looks like one of the creatures from an episode of Scooby Doo, is actually me. And I think its spot on.

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