Thursday, August 28, 2008

Life unexpected

Someone didn't tell about the overflowing toilet until a wave of water came gushing down the hallway.

Then a certain 2-yr-old proudly showed off her entire body--smeared in peanut butter.

After 3 scream-filled shampoos, I noticed the matching club chairs.

Then I was the one screaming.

Today I wait for the plumber and the carpet cleaner. Who's looking forward to a very clean house tonight?

When life gives you more fruit than you can handle, make someone else a pretty fruit salad.

39 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hope today is much better!

Consider it all joy, my brethren, consider it all joy....

Anonymous said...

I swear, it reads like something out of a movie script! I think you're a pretty good gal.....& sharing this with all of us. Dare I say, it makes me feel a little more...oh, I don't know...NORMAL??

Brenda

Anonymous said...

No one expects the Spanish Inquistion:)

Some days you just have to laugh to keep from running away to join the circus, which I think might be more peaceful than life with toddlers.

Anonymous said...

Oh, Meredith, I hate this for you! I don't know why things like this seem to happen when we are most exhausted and tired, and least able to cope with them, but they do. Our six year old had a "toilet incident" about a month ago where it overflowed because he used practically an entire roll of toilet paper....and now he is afraid of it happening again, so we find "surprises" in the toilet all the time. He won't flush for fear of another "flood". Life can be a non-stop circus sometimes with kids! Hope today goes much, much better. Maybe you can get the kids out of the house for a while today and do something fun somewhere so that the house stays clean and no more messes get started! Have a better day today!
Susan

Amy said...

Oh no! YIKES! Someone was busy! I hope everything can be restored. We had an incident with a blue marker this week- someone really liked his school supplies :)

Christian - Modobject@Home said...

Oh the carpet... oh the club chairs! I have so been there -- not too long ago. Hang in there, it can only get better from here, right?!

Anonymous said...

Oh wow. I hope the rest of your day goes better!

Anonymous said...

Hi, Meredith. I feel for you. :-) Life with toddlers... it's a situation comedy, except that it gets pretty hard to laugh sometimes :-D
Take care.

Blessings,
Ivy

Nancy said...

Someday when that certain 2 year old is an adult, this will be a great story to share with friends or soon-to-be spouse! And, you will probably be able to laugh about it by then.

Anonymous said...

I have had THREE visits from a plumber this month, not in my budget, I can assure you!I also have a 2 year old, can you guess??

mama k said...

oh my.

But with my own 2yo I can so relate.

Carrien Blue said...

Oh, I have had days like these. Lots of them.

They are the worst when you are pregnant.

A degreaser like simply orange will get the peanut butter stains out of the chairs.

Spray, scrub gently with toothbrush, wipe with cloth, lather, rinse, repeat. OKay actually stop at wipe with cloth and then spray again. And I'm hoping the carpet cleaner could help too.

It's always harder when pregnant to deal with life's little surprises. Hugs.

You will think it's funny one day. I promise:)

Anonymous said...

Eight years later, I can now laugh about the gallon of yellow paint my toddler daughter dumped on the guest room carpet while she was "helping" me. My parents were due in later that week for a long visit. I was deep into my third trimester and consumed with nesting.

Those were the days!

Edi said...

Those are the kind of days when one wishes she were wealthy enough (and so inclined) to have a maid and a live-in nanny :) ...or for at the very least, for those things to have happened when she was out shopping (or at a restaurant with a friend...) and DAD was on home duty :)

Mrs. Darling said...

Oh you poor thing. Best wishes for a better day!

Anonymous said...

Reminds me of similar episodes at our house growing up - my baby sister decorated a royal blue silk chair with Desitin and two lemon yellow chairs with red magic markers (show of hands - who else is wondering what on earth my mom was thinking when she chose silk and velvet chairs for a house with two small daughters?). Everything was salvaged, all was forgiven, and my sister has grown up to be a wonderful person with a PhD in human genetics who dabbles in swing dancing, belly dancing, and championship pie-baking. Perhaps these urges point to future well-roundedness? ;-)

Hang in there -
MaryAnn

Meredith said...

Thanks, y'all!

Right now both the plumber and carpet cleaner are here--on the front end of the estimated time period, too.

It's going to be expensive to have everything cleaned, but that's what emergency funds are for, right?

It is a true luxury to be able to pick up the phone and call for help without worrying about payday. We've never really been in this position before!

Jerri Lynn @ Southern Sassyness said...

Gosh, it seems we all have days like these, huh?

One day at a time, my friend. One day at a time...

Anonymous said...

My 2 sons are now in their 20's but oh how well I remember those wonderful toddler days when I would be involved in something and have the realization that the house was the dreaded...MUCH TOO QUIET...They each had a time when they got into my bright pink lipstick and smeared it on themself and everything in their path - walls, furniture, carpet..ahh good times.
Carole

Indie Pereira said...

Sounds kind of familiar. Glad that I'm not the only one, not that I wish it upon you. :)

Anonymous said...

My almost 30 year old son dropped a red slurpee on the first step of the staircase when he came into the house, as an eight year old. Our carpet WAS beige. Good times!

Another fun mess--cooking oil all over the floor. Honestly, it is funny now.

Ruth

Essential Oil Premier University said...

Well I'm glad to read that you didn't re-use that peanut butter!!

Blessings,

Sher

Tubo Family said...

Oh my goodness is all I can say. Glad you were able (& willing) to call for help.

Jennifer said...

I probably shouldn't say this, but thank goodness my kids have never gotten into the peanut butter. tonight,, put your feet up and relax!

Anonymous said...

Oh, how I have been there...I once kept the carpet cleaner on speed dial. Now I finally got smart and we no longer have carpet. I can clean up most anything on the wood floors.
Let me tell you, once my then 12 year old son, got the bright idea to spray paint his skate board. We went out to his father's work shop, got the paint etc. Did he paint it in the shop? No, not my son. He painted it on the floor of his bed room when the carpet was less than a year old. I was so up set, I am not sure how that boy lived to be grown without one of us going crazy. Roxie

Anonymous said...

How funny, but not.. My son did the same thing with Chocolate frosting when I was pregnant with my daughter.. he "painted" the entire bathroom while he was supposed to be napping, and I was napping.. You poor thing!!

Anonymous said...

I assume Elise has been given peanut butter before and you knew she wasn't allergic. My nephew is 2 and his pediatrician doesn't advise eating peanut butter until age 3. If she hadn't had it before, my main concern would have been if she was allergic and then cleaning the mess! If she is ok, carpets can be cleaned or replaced!

Nicola said...

oh, god. sending sympathy and heartfelt mamma understanding your way!

Anonymous said...

Oh so sorry! Sounds like a rough day. Emergency funds are great to have - especially when something like this pops up!

Take care,

Manuela

Janette said...

My favorite day? My toddler girl left in a completely empty house while I was on the phone with my mom in the kitchen. I rounded the corner to see....a complete garden crayoned on the wall- from her bedroom in the back to the living room. Oh how I wish I had taken a picture! Thank the Lord from toothpaste!
She has her own toddler now- payback is fun!
Sit and relax in your clean house- but watch the babies-lol!

Jessie Weaver said...

Oh dear. You can't tell this kind of story...makes me more and more nervous about having this kid!!

Anonymous said...

At least it was only peanut butter. I remember my son and his blocks and the wall, etc, being covered with something much yuckier. HA! This is why now that he is grown I get such nice mother's day cards. :)
LC

Rachel said...

Wow.
That's all I can say, just "wow."

Anonymous said...

*hugs* Oh Meredith...how I learn from you.

After yesterday's discovery that she prefers decorating books (can she come give me some advice?), we now know that she also loves "spa" treatments.

*sigh* And just think...when she's 17 and going on her first date, you'll be thinking to yourself, "Lord...bring back the naked peanut butter years."

Liam discovered permanent marker. On my vinyl. In the apartment we are moving out of in less than a week. A call to my landlord was indeed graceful..."Oh don't worry. We were going to replace it anyway."

I told Hubs he is NEVER allowed to rummage through a box by himself again. ;)

Anonymous said...

This sounds a lot like my day yesterday, which ended up with me delivering my son's friend back home 2 hours early.

There are times, as a parent, where I find myself thinking... surely child! yeesh! at least you should have hidden the evidence a little better! {{{hugs}}} thanks for the laugh and I hope, hope, hope you can get the peanut butter out of the chairs!

Anonymous said...

One of those days! I hope tomorrow is better. At least you can probably skip a bath for the peanut butter child since they were so thoroughly washed today!

Melissa Lester said...

What a day! I hope you got a bubble bath tonight! -- Melissa Lester

Musings of a Housewife said...

Oh my WORD! You need a nice long soak in the tub. Can't wait for Sat night!!!

Tracey said...

How did everything clean up?