![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
adventures in babysitting
Sep. 18th, 2007 09:27 amG'ah, naturally the one day I will get absolutely no sleep as it is, is the day they pick for the house to be appraised for the nine billionth time. Figures! That said, I think if I do the dishes I said I would, clean up in here, and re-find my bathroom, with a spritz of straightening the various piles in my room, I'm done. If I'm kind, I'll sweep the front porch and knock the spiders and cobwebs off the lights out front. Might do that first.
Now, for my tale of Monday kicking my ass terribly. You ready? For proper mental visualization, please go with cartoonish antics. And, begin!
Yesterday I was left with the Widge while my mother dropped the boy off at work and picked my father up from work. This has happened before and nothing horrible has happened, so I wasn't dreading it. Should have, seeing as not ten minutes before he'd thrown a hissy fit while doing his homework. But still, I was confidant! I was a fool. They leave, the dogs freak out momentarily, and then Widge declares he should like to go outside and ride his bike. But first he will force me to fold his clothes and he will haul them upstairs in groups of twos and threes. There was a cute moment where I wished for a basket and he ran upstairs and grabbed this tiny basket his Pooh Bear blocks came him.
That done, he changed out of his uniform, and we went outside. The rule was, since I'm still covered in bites from our walk Saturday, the moment the bugs found me, he had to go around back so I could watch as I sat at the table, safe from the bugs. He rode his bike for awhile and I told myself that the ant did not count unless more appeared. Finally the bugs found me and he quite nicely did as he was asked. For about five minutes. Then he declared that Angel wanted to go out, and he would ride his bike with Angel and it would be great. Dude, I was there when Kate decided she would walk her dog while rollerskating. I remember the pain, the agony. So no, no bikes and dogs, ok? It took FOREVER to hammer that into his head and what do you know, two seconds after the dog was released to the outside world, he went for his bike. So the discussion began again. Finally he decided he'd go to the side yard with Lady and play.
Maybe ten minutes, probably less, later, he came in and headed for the backyard again. Again I pointed out that the bike was a no go, and then he tried to untangle Angel. He couldn't, so I went out and tried it. He wanders off and Angel bites my hand repeatedly, and the next thing I know, Thomas is crying and saying a bee stung him. I look at his hand and think I see something, but it's hard to tell. So I carry him to the door where Lady is eying us excitedly. I tell Thomas to run to the front door and I'll let myself in the back so lady doesn't get him or run away. I make it in before him and he wants to be carried, so I pick him up, Lady claws me to death, and I manage to acquire three splinters. I don't remember the proper protocol for bee stings, so I fill the sink with cold water and have him soak it, figuring that if I'm lucky, that won't kill him.
I run for the book that might tell me, and as I trip down the stairs, the phone is ringing. I hobble/run through the house and realize it was Cass, but as I'm thinking of calling her back to ask HER, the widge cries out, "what's taking so lonnnnggggggg?" Considering the boy talks on the phone almost the entire time he's watching Widge play, I figure doing the same thing, even if it's possibly helpful this go round would be bad, besides, the phone stopped ringing. So the widge and I crack open the book and while it tells us all we need to know about the mating habits of bees and other "useful" information, it has nary an idea as to what to do about stings. However, the widget flipped through and enjoyed the pictures and saying the names of various places, so that worked. Mom came hom, made the baking soda paste, I felt stupid for not remembering that, and then told me I should have gone online and looked up what to do.
Might I point out the splinters and crying kid again?
the day ended with me trying to keep the puppy out of the trash can and she got her head stuck in the trash, and then I somehow knocked the can over and thought I would begin to cry.
Now, for my tale of Monday kicking my ass terribly. You ready? For proper mental visualization, please go with cartoonish antics. And, begin!
Yesterday I was left with the Widge while my mother dropped the boy off at work and picked my father up from work. This has happened before and nothing horrible has happened, so I wasn't dreading it. Should have, seeing as not ten minutes before he'd thrown a hissy fit while doing his homework. But still, I was confidant! I was a fool. They leave, the dogs freak out momentarily, and then Widge declares he should like to go outside and ride his bike. But first he will force me to fold his clothes and he will haul them upstairs in groups of twos and threes. There was a cute moment where I wished for a basket and he ran upstairs and grabbed this tiny basket his Pooh Bear blocks came him.
That done, he changed out of his uniform, and we went outside. The rule was, since I'm still covered in bites from our walk Saturday, the moment the bugs found me, he had to go around back so I could watch as I sat at the table, safe from the bugs. He rode his bike for awhile and I told myself that the ant did not count unless more appeared. Finally the bugs found me and he quite nicely did as he was asked. For about five minutes. Then he declared that Angel wanted to go out, and he would ride his bike with Angel and it would be great. Dude, I was there when Kate decided she would walk her dog while rollerskating. I remember the pain, the agony. So no, no bikes and dogs, ok? It took FOREVER to hammer that into his head and what do you know, two seconds after the dog was released to the outside world, he went for his bike. So the discussion began again. Finally he decided he'd go to the side yard with Lady and play.
Maybe ten minutes, probably less, later, he came in and headed for the backyard again. Again I pointed out that the bike was a no go, and then he tried to untangle Angel. He couldn't, so I went out and tried it. He wanders off and Angel bites my hand repeatedly, and the next thing I know, Thomas is crying and saying a bee stung him. I look at his hand and think I see something, but it's hard to tell. So I carry him to the door where Lady is eying us excitedly. I tell Thomas to run to the front door and I'll let myself in the back so lady doesn't get him or run away. I make it in before him and he wants to be carried, so I pick him up, Lady claws me to death, and I manage to acquire three splinters. I don't remember the proper protocol for bee stings, so I fill the sink with cold water and have him soak it, figuring that if I'm lucky, that won't kill him.
I run for the book that might tell me, and as I trip down the stairs, the phone is ringing. I hobble/run through the house and realize it was Cass, but as I'm thinking of calling her back to ask HER, the widge cries out, "what's taking so lonnnnggggggg?" Considering the boy talks on the phone almost the entire time he's watching Widge play, I figure doing the same thing, even if it's possibly helpful this go round would be bad, besides, the phone stopped ringing. So the widge and I crack open the book and while it tells us all we need to know about the mating habits of bees and other "useful" information, it has nary an idea as to what to do about stings. However, the widget flipped through and enjoyed the pictures and saying the names of various places, so that worked. Mom came hom, made the baking soda paste, I felt stupid for not remembering that, and then told me I should have gone online and looked up what to do.
Might I point out the splinters and crying kid again?
the day ended with me trying to keep the puppy out of the trash can and she got her head stuck in the trash, and then I somehow knocked the can over and thought I would begin to cry.