Monday tried my nerves. It all started with Finley the puppy, with whom my patience wanes quickly. He has totally thrown off my morning schedule. Instead of doing my morning work uninterrupted, I am now stopped mid-chore by his whining, which I take seriously because I am trying hard to train him. Several times he has told me he was finished with his business only to come inside and leave me an unwanted present. I try to take all whines as him telling me he needs to go out.
Most of the time he is good and either puts a paw on my foot or goes the the porch when he is finished using the bathroom. But sometimes he decides to take a run down the road or outside of the yard. I’ve had to run down the road chasing him, which I find embarrassing. Yesterday he decided to cross the muddy ditch and go into the neighbor’s cow pasture. I told him to just stay on out there and get run over by a car if he wanted to, but then I went inside and got him a puppy treat and he came running to it.
Later the cat jumped out from under the bed and scared him and he peed everywhere. It was funny, but also he stepped all in it and there I was trying to keep the kids, the cat and the dog out of dog pee.
My cousin and her kids were due the stop by in the afternoon. I knew I needed to get the house cleaned up, but I also wanted to take the kids to the park since we are trying to care-freely enjoy as much as we can before stupid COVID possibly sends us back to carefulness.
We picked Mama up in town so she could ride over with us, and decided to go through Wendy’s. The boy wanted a Frosty, and I, who had spent thirty minutes over the weekend shampooing the backseat of my car, said to him that he better not spill it because I would like for my car to be clean for at least a few days. I got sister a milk for when we were finished playing.
When it was time to go I loaded the children in the car. The boy let drops of his melted Frosty get on the seat. I am always embarrassed for parents who yell at their children in public, but I may or may not have barked at him a little. Then I put a straw in the milk and held it up to little sister so she could get a drink. But, she was more in the mood to blow bubbles. She blew into the straw and a volcano of milk exploded all over her carseat and her shirt. I said I better just give up on having a clean car for a while.
We rushed back home so I could finish cleaning up for my cousin’s visit. As soon as I opened the front door I was hit in the face with the strong and distinct smell of cat pee. The white cat, Scooter, that we do not fully claim, is always peeing on stuff on the front porch. I couldn’t tell if it was just in the doorway or what. I doused it with vinegar and sprayed it with air sanitizer and mopped it and plugged in two air freshers and hoped for the best.
The kids had a wonderful visit, but when their cousins left they wanted to go play outside. I told the boy not to get in the mud. While I might get embarrassed if I have to raise my voice at the kids in public, sometimes I just have to let the southern mama fly at home. I catch myself yelling things like, “You’re about to get a spanking!” “Get out of that mud hole!” “I guess them chiggers are just going to have to eat you alive, because I’m not giving you another bath today!”
I mean, I guess the list could go on. Yesterday was no different. I said don’t get in a mud hole and the boy ran right out in the field and wallered like a pig. Then he hooked his water hose up and sprayed down little sister and then tried to get me. And that’s when I ran in the garage and told Michael he better get on out there and deal with his children.
I hope my kids one day appreciate the fact that they were allowed to drive me crazy getting their clothes wet and my floors muddy every day of their childhood. At least they are living their best lives, with very little fear or care of Mama’s nervous breakdowns, which I often tell them they are giving me. And even though I was mad as a wet hen yesterday, I can laugh about it this morning — especially since they usually wait until the afternoon to get in the mud.
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