A not so random act of kindness

The last week of school was, to say the very least, busy. Crazy busy. The kind of busy where your home is the just place you drop off all your stuff because, wisely, no one else will allow that amount of crap into their household. After you drop your stuff, you lay your head on pillow, sleep, wakeup, change your clothes, pick up new crap, and leave. Well, repeat this for four days times four kids who do not hold cleanliness next to godliness, minus one husband, plus two extra kids, and you can only imagine how un-Better-Homes-and-Garden-like the house looked on Friday morning.

However, there was simple act of kindness my children were going to perform that day before we left for Jon's soccer game and Lauren left for her sleepover, even if it killed me. They were going to do it even if I had to take away every privilege they had ever earned, short of me taking away the air they breathed. My children were going to clean the family room so their father, my husband, could watch Game 7 of the Stanley Cup without risk of breaking his leg when he jumped up to yell at the TV.

Now, considering the mess was primarily that of the kids, this was not an unreasonable request/do it or watch your mother go over the edge demand. Also considering that I was primarily responsible for shuttling them all over Stevens Point, chaperoning their field trips, feeding them, and giving birth to them, that family room was going to be presentable because: "I SAID SO, SO LET'S GO!" (For the curious, that is a direct quote.) The kids were not happy. I was even unhappier; as my kids have come to realize when Mom swallows her "cranky pills" it's best to just ride out the storm and do what they are told to do.

I left Rich a voice mail telling the rest of the house was trashed BUT he had a very clean space in which to watch the game; enjoy. He was thrilled even if the kids were perplexed by how weird and "unfair" it was to get a room ready just for Dad.

Well, if they were confused and disoriented by that amount of housekeeping, I have bad news for them on Monday morning! It is going to be all hands on deck, all units reporting, and a full clean sweep of the Tolbert household. I promise any screams you hear from this house will be from me and not the from the children, as they will be too busy inventing excuses to get out of work to muster up the energy to scream.