The Destructive Power of the Apt Toddler

There are days that I wonder why I ever bother cleaning. These days have become abundant with having 2 small monsters running circles around me. I have avoided cleaning for a few weeks, mainly because of the family chaos, but I made a commitment to my very patient and loving Hubby that I would make an effort this week. That said, it seemed to be a fruitless one.

The toddler is a very adept creature. She is reminiscent of the Tasmanian Devil. My little monster is the fastest, most destructive toddler I have ever encountered...and I was a nanny for several years before having my own children. I really thought it would prepare me for being in the trenches...Not. So.

Anyway, last night was quite a treat. Mind you, I'm not talking about a chocolate-covered strawberry DQ Blizzard type of treat. I'm talking about a marathoner. I nursed the Little Monster at 7:30pm, 10:00pm, 1:00am and gave in once again at 3:30am...Come 5:00am when she started her Siren song, I decided I had enough. I called for reinforcements: Hubby. A fat lot of good that did...as he brought her to me 5 minutes later saying that she refused a sippy of milk and a trot around the house. W.T.F. He practically flung her at me and proceeded to continue his reverie and chorus of snoring. Meanwhile, I was left with LM...and empty ya-yas. I rubbed her back until my arm went numb, and then I woke up Mr. Happypants and made him take LM back to bed. Thankfully, she stayed asleep until I had to take the Monster to preschool.

When I got back from dropping off the Monster, it was time to get to work. I had said that I would clean up the girls' rooms today since I had cleaned the kitchen and the not-so-great room yesterday. Little did I know what a task that would be. I was super tired when I got LM up this morning, with bags under my eyes that would clearly not fit in the overhead compartment of a 757. The bags under my eyes must have blinded me because when I got home to start on Little Monster's room, I was baffled.

I had to laugh. There was nothing else I could do. And then I brewed a second pot of coffee because it was clearly going to be a long day. Thankfully, she stayed out of my way long enough for me to pick it all up off the floor and put back into place. I also had more laundry to put away, and as I was doing that I found several Little People in various drawers of her dresser. I guess I should look at that as hope that she does intend to put things away, but she didn't know exactly where once she had destroyed the storage area entirely? The thing is, though, that as much work as it is to clean up after a toddler, it's worth it. They're only small for such a short amount of time...And these are the stories with which I can torture them and threaten that their children will be just as Tasmanian Devilish as they are :-)

Here's to the unforgettable moments...