my monster

boys will be boys.

this boy is also part monster.

Simon is such a big mess maker. his worst messes don't get documented because they are so big. I spend all of my energy cleaning up and never even think about getting out the camera, although each time I regret not getting any pictures. Unfortunately we don't have anything to show for the bananas in my couch/carpet, the flour he spread over my entire kitchen and the bathroom cleaners he emptied at my sister's house over spring break. But he hit the motherload earlier this week by climbing up on my dryer and pouring an almost full gallon of bleach on 3 batches of clean laundry.

I was feeling pretty good on Monday. I hardly ever get unpacked the day after a vacation, but somehow I did. In the middle of house cleaning and laundry, I also managed to take the kids (+ friends) to a splash park and get slushies at sonic. When we arrived home from the park, I threw a chicken pot pie in the oven and started one last load of dirty clothes. Go me! Just before dinner, I changed Simon's diaper and asked him to take his swimsuit to the laundry room. my bad. when he didn't return a few minutes later, I found him on top of the dryer with an empty bleach container in hand.

It could have been A LOT worse and I am absolutely counting my blessings. He was totally okay, a little bleach on his legs, but nothing a quick bath couldn't fix. The first batch that got the most soaked were WHITES and they were all completely fine.. huge blessing there. He also soaked three favorite blankets and a snuggie and guess what? fleece doesn't bleach. They are slightly discolored, but nothing noticeable. and the third batch was ruined. Lots of dish towels, socks and 10 or so articles of clothing. And the nice bath towel that was on top of the whites load was so saturated that it ate through so it needed to be thrown out. For as big of a disaster as it could have been, the damage was minimal. picture below..

I stayed up until about 3 am sorting through the mess and getting all of the clothes clean again. I felt very grateful that the boys black church clothes were in the dryer when the bleach was poured and that all of our jeans were already folded and put away. But mostly I felt grateful that Simon was okay. There have been a few stories in the news lately of toddlers drowning after falling in the washing machine... and the fact that he was playing with BLEACH makes me so happy that he poured in on the ground instead of drinking it. Even though it was quite a mess to clean up, I know we were very blessed.

I mentioned earlier that he got into my sister's bathroom last week. He covered himself in comet and painted her walls with the toilet brush. A few days after that, he made his way down to her salon and emptied several bottles of new hair product while Debbie was packing a lunch for the park (and I was trying to feed a crying baby). My sister was naturally overwhelmed by his crazy antics and got upset. She has four sweet little girls and doesn't know what to do with a busy, crazy little boy! I stayed pretty calm because it happens all the time and I know it doesn't do much good to scream and shout. She said something about not knowing how to handle him and I took offense. Obviously I don't know how to handle him either... and I realize that he is a monster, but he's MY monster. And I absolutely love him to pieces. It doesn't mean I don't feel overwhelmed and frustrated by him every.single.day. But he's only two. He's just happens to be more curious and capable than most other two year olds, so his messes are significantly bigger. What can I say, he's an overachiever.

I used to be judgmental about parents with children who misbehaved or got into trouble. My oldest boys were the sweetest, most well-mannered toddlers you ever did see. I thought I was an amazing mother, practically perfect in every way. After two more "challenging" boys, I realize that I am far from perfect, but I believe I am a better mother. and I am more understanding and less judgmental. I am brought to tears on a daily basis because I am so exhausted and overwhelmed, but I wouldn't trade my toddler for any other... because, according to me, he really is the very best.