Mess? What mess?

This is what greeted me when I got home from work this evening:

Yes, that's right - shrieking, giggling munchkins covered in a mysterious white powder. Perhaps I should have been annoyed, because the mysterious white powder was undoubtedly not confined to their beautiful faces. Perhaps I should have been concerned, because if they'd managed to make such a mess then there was surely an absent caregiver. Perhaps I should have been angry, because there was a mess and an absent caregiver.

But, alas, I was not annoyed, concerned or angry.

Quite frankly, I wanted to laugh. But that would have been very un-parently, so I sternly asked Ben and Desi what they had been doing. Without hesitation, they led me to the kitchen, where I found the pile of goods they'd pulled out of the cabinet, complete with a now-empty box of corn starch. Mystery of the white powder solved.


According to Eric, they were supposed to be picking up the toothpicks they'd scattered all over the floor. He'd left the room to take a work phone call. It's the end of the week; we'll write this momentary lapse of parental judgement off as product of a hard week that has completely drained his brain.


I tried to keep a straight face, really I did. I managed to get out an obligatory "Ben and Desi, you've been very naughty, and you need to clean up your mess. Now please pick up all the toothpicks." But while they were squatting on the floor, obediently picking up the toothpicks, Desi looked up at me, grinned, and squealed "Mommy!", and I had to leave the room.



After a good giggle, I managed to compose myself enough to return the the kitchen to supervise the continuing clean-up. Then I wiped the kids down, told them they were not to take things out of the cupboards, and told them to go play. By then my ability to maintain Disciplining Parent Mode had completely dissolved, and they got huge hugs and kisses before heading towards the living room, where they will inevitably be making another enormous mess.

Welcome to the Toddler Tornado Ally that is my home.