Family Day

Hi all, DoT here. Another weekend has flown by and I have survived Family Day with the kids (the Federal Public servants don't get this day off so K was at work - knew I should have picked "heads"). Today was especially a challenge since we will have house guests starting Wednesday night and the house needed, shall we say, "a lot of tidying up". As anyone with kids knows, as soon as they sense you aren't paying 100% attention to them, they start to circle.

Things weren't too bad until just after lunch. I told B it was time for his nap and he started running away saying "no!"(hope my new team at work turns out to be a little more cooperative when I ask for things). I then carried B to his nap with him screaming and kicking. Once he was behind bars, I turned back to cleaning. The girls were able to amuse themselves for a while but then started to want to shred paper like Dad. Now you might think "what's wrong with letting the kids help out" - well I have stories about scissors that made me hesitate with giving any shredder lessons. I still think it would be wise to hide the shredder before they start improvising sometime soon.

As well, I got the usual challenges to have treats all day. I fear the day is coming soon, when they will have out-thought me at every turn and have an answer prepared in advance for every situation. Today A spotted some jelly beans Grandma had sent us from Xmas.

A: "What are those?" (sensing the set-up already - pretty sure she has seen a jellybean or two before)

Me: "Jellybeans" (missing a chance to change the course of the conversation).

A: "Are they yours or ours?" (again all finesse - my answer won't change anything)

Me: "Yours I guess". (here it comes)

A: "So...can we have some?" (no beating around the bush when the jugular is exposed).

Me: "After Supper".

A: accepts after minor grumbling sensing she has totally mastered the negotiation. By the time she asks for that convertible, I will have no chance other than to run away from her.

In the midst of all this, we have an ant problem in E's room. I didn't think ants came out in the winter but we now have proof that they do. She, it also turns out, has a fear of ants (either one of the other two kids would have loved that upgrade to their accomodations). We put down some traps, removed a kid snackbag that was likely attracting them and vacuumed everything; but apparently it will take a few weeks for the traps to take effect. In the mean time she has not been too keen to go in there or go to sleep.

So by this afternoon I am getting tired, and a bit frustrated, and the kids must have decided I needed a bit of comic relief.

After the girls playing in E's room for 20 minutes, E came out with a big pout on and said "Daddy, A has an ant and I don't". I had to think this phrase over to make sure I had heard that right.

Me: "Let me get this straight - you want an ant?"

E: "Yes"

Me: "Let's go find you an ant". For the next 15 minutes A and E both have ants crawling on their hands and arms and think it is hilarious. This goes on until E can no longer find her ant. She figures it is in her pants. She finally ends up getting totally undressed in an attempt to find her ant, and plans to stay that way. I convince her to at least put on her PJs. It is at this point that I hear A talking to her ant "where are you Ant Mimi?" She had a pretty dead looking ant and I told her finally to flush it. She told me finally that Ant Mimi had been flushed down the toilet. A half hour later, I am in tears and laughing so hard that I can barely re-tell this story to K on the phone. All in all, a good ending to a day I had ant-ticipated would be difficult (sorry couldn't resist - hope Ant Mimi won't be offended).

Here is a shot from the day.  They look so innocent don't they?