Blissful sleep.

Then groggily waking to four kids (my two, plus their cousins), I inquire,

“What is that sound?”

My sweet nephew kindly replies,

“That’s just me, throwing a ball quietly against the (my bedroom) wall, so you could sleep.”

“Uh – why thank you.”

Ok, well I guess I’m up.

************

My own progeny, “Mom don’t worry we are just getting breakfast!”

*the words ‘don’t worry’ immediately have the opposite effect on me, and I find myself very motivated to get downstairs*

“Where did you get powdered sugar and why is it on the curtains?!”

Naturally leading into,

“Sprinkling powdered sugar on a plate and licking it off is not breakfast.”

“Oh sorry mom, I thought you were ok with that!”

“Really in what universe would I have ever suggested such thing?!”

“Well dad uses this to sprinkle the sugar on our french toast…”

“We are not having french toast, that is just an empty plate with sugar on it.”

“Yes – it’s BREAKFAST.”

“I promise you, it is not.”

Prompting me to instruct,

“Please clean the plume of powdered sugar that has billowed across the  living room from vigorous use of a (now arguably weaponized) shaker, while I make an actual breakfast.”

5 minutes later, regretting my own words,

“Placing soaking wet towels on the living room floor and jumping up and down on them is not cleaning!!!!”

Thank goodness for hardwood floors.

*******************

Later we revisit a similar scenario when I hear myself say,

“Yes, I did say clean up, but I meant your toys, not washing the windows with muddy water.”

Followed by,

“You might be the first children to ever cry because you CAN’T wash the the windows!”

********************

And last but not least, these amazingly, random phrases every parent finds themselves uttering:

“Who ever is doing the wolf howling, please stop” (I honestly don’t know which child it was).

“The baskets of berries at the produce store are not a smorgasbord for tasting.”

“Stop saying ‘pain and suffering’ and then giggling, it sounds creepy.”

And of course,

“Please clear the dishes off the table so we can set it again.”

*************

But they are just the sweetest – so lets bring on the ice cream and shenanigans!!!