Random Thoughts about Today

I wish that the girls’ teacher would have told me that they spent some time in church today. Then I would have been more prepared during the drive home when Turtle asked, “Where is God Mommy, where is God?” I’m satisfied with the answer I gave, but still. One likes to have a little time to think about these things.

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I am freakishly protective of the girls’ naptime. I have always been a slave to the nap schedule, completely contorting all activities around it. It’s not just because I think adequate sleep is the single most important factor affecting their development, or that I am convinced that the compliments I get about their good public behavior is because they are always well-rested. It’s not even because I need that break. It’s because of the hellfire unleashed on me when they don’t get that nap.

Today I couldn’t get them to go to sleep during naptime. The hour that followed that unsuccessful rest period was filled with screaming, crying, two kids literally hanging onto my knees screaming, “Momma Hold! Momma Hold!” while I tried to make dinner, constant throwing of themselves on the ground, and finally, a plate of food thrown off the dinner table so forcefully that I had to wipe avocado off the wall.

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There is occasionally a window of calm after the hellfire on a “no nap” day. Today, a mere 20 minutes after the avocado incident, there were the girls, giving each other “boots” (boosts) up the slide on the Little Tikes Castle Climber in the living room. “I give sissy boots Momma, I give sissy boots!” said Turtle, pushing on Monkey's bottom as Monkey climbed up the slide. Then Monkey slid back down, said, “Sissy’s turn” and then gave Turtle a “boot” up the slide. They repeated this for awhile, falling on top of each other quite a bit and laughing like crazy. It made me laugh so hard that I almost forgot about the avocado.

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In the course of about 45 minutes this evening, Monkey and Turtle: gave each other boosts up the slide; put on their wings, found their flower wands, their purses, their babies and loaded it all into their grocery carts to go to HEB; pretended to be the neighbor’s newborn baby; talked at length on their phones to God, telling Him everything that was going on in the living room; pretended I was Baby Jesus; and put on insect tattoos.

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I wonder how Monkey managed to pull off her pants and her diaper during her “nap” time today, and how long did she play bare-bottomed in her crib before I finally declared nap over and went and got her? What kind of picture of God is forming in their little brains? How soon before I regret teaching them how to give each other boosts? These are the random questions that fill my brain, blocking out current events, people's birthdays, and everything I learned in law school . . . .