Can't I catch a break?

As I was dropping Papa off at the bus depot this morning, I told him I was going to have a good day. And in a few ways, I have. I got the kids' schooling done before dinner time (sheesh) and they have been relatively good. The non-student, aka Mootsie, is another story all together.

She has been into everything today! I think I'm going to be counting the nano-seconds until the child gate we ordered gets here. As it stands now, Mootsie can get into the kitchen because there is nothing blocking the way. So far today, she has dumped a full cup of water all over the kitchen table, emptied her leftover lunch on the living room floor. Rice with cream of chicken soup can be a pain to clean. Did you know? She also smashed and dropped various assortments of crackers on the living room floor 17 times. She has managed to get into the pencils and pens 148 times. That's her favorite treat. When we had the Easter baskets down, she would go for the pencils, rather than the chocolate that the Easter bunny had brought. Go figure.

I think it's also time to install the toilet lock. In the past 24 hours, she has dropped something in the toilet 5 times, that I know of. This does not include toilet paper. That is a whole other ball of wax. She will dip a stretch of toilet paper in the water and then smear the soggy mess on the seat. Possibly the grossest feeling is sitting down on a wet seat. Luckily, we have trained the other ankle biters to flush. And tricked them into thinking it's fun to clean the toilet bowl. They actually fight over the privilege.

Sigh. Calgon, take me away!