Morning of messes

It all started off when I got up and went to the bathroom to get ready for the day. I stepped in pee which was on the floor by the toilet. Sam had apparently gotten  up and used our bathroom at some point, then went back to bed. I cleaned up the mess, then went about getting ready. After I was all ready and the kids were up and hungry, we went downstairs to get breakfast going. I was preparing oatmeal and Sam again had to go to the bathroom.

He again missed the toilet and made quite a mess. He has to help clean up such messes these days, so I gave him a few paper towels and told him to start cleaning up. He threw them on the mess and tried wiping them up daintily with his foot which was not very successful. I told him he was going to have to use his hands, then wash them well, and gave him a few more paper towels. He did a better job and I went back to finishing breakfast prep. Moments later I heard the toilet flush (or attempt to flush) as Sam was finished and he decided to flush the paper towels down the toilet. They didn't want to go and I fished them out of the toilet with my hand and threw them in the garbage.

Then I washed up, finished wiping down the floor, washed up again and went back to breakfast. Sam spent quite a good deal of time cleaning his hands which is unusual for him. But he finished up and came to the counter to enjoy his breakfast. After a bit I heard, "Mom, look at this!" Sam was holding his spoon upright in his bowl and spinning his bowl around it. Before I could say the words, "Don't do that!" the bowl flew off the counter to the floor and the floor near Sam's chair was splattered with oatmeal. Ugh. I gave Sam some more paper towels and he set to work cleaning up. It took everything in my not to scream and go crazy at another mess in the first hour of the day. And the floor was just mopped two days ago. Wow. Patience and fortitude take on new meaning when you have little kids.

I instructed Sam to put the dirty paper towels (which were loaded with clumps of oatmeal) into his bowl. He resisted, saying he was going to walk them over the garbage (he has entered the phase where he thinks he knows best). I told him they should go in his bowl, then he could dump them into the garbage as they would probably drip oatmeal onto the floor. He started walking away with a dirty paper towel and clump after clump after clump of oatmeal fell onto the floor. Oh my. Don't scream. Instead of screaming I told Sam, "See? Put it into the bowl." He complied, and together we cleaned up the rest of the oatmeal and wiped the floor with a wet cloth and we then went on with our day.

Generally our mornings aren't quite so exciting. To look on the bright side, the floor by two toilets and under Sam's chair got an extra cleaning this morning. And Sam is becoming quite a good helper and I am becoming a more patient mother.