Don't Assume Anything

So today was hectic - but I am not going to lie, most days are hectic anymore. Today, however, went something like this:


Get up

Get Ellie and Noah up, ready, fed and out the door to catch the bus by 8:10

Unload the dishwasher and load the washer

Bathe, feed and dress Leah and Carter

Take a shower and make myself look presentable

Play GeoTrax with Carter

Fix Carter a peanut butter sandwich

Load Carter into Steph's car for preschool carpool (phew - a break!)

Wait for Noah to get home

Load Noah and Leah into the car

Go get blood drawn to make sure my thyroid is still doing what it is supposed to (UUgh)

Hit Sam's club with the 2 kids - who behaved expectionally I would like to say

Load the kids and groceries into the car

Drive home

Unload the kids and groceries from the car

Feed myself, Noah and Leah

Lay Leah down for a nap (phew - another break!)

Staighten up.

Accept the request to watch the neighbors little boy while she runs to the store

Greet Ellie at the door

Visit with mom who stopped by to pick up Ellie and take her to dance

Watch all the boys playing outside in the front yard

Watch my neighbor pull up and see her little boy,whom I have been watching, run home to her (this one is important to the story!)

Say goodbye to Ellie and mom

Straighten up

Look up camp sights on the computer to reserve for this summer

Realize I am going to late picking Ellie up from dance and PANIC

Yell at kids to get in the car

Wake Leah up from her nap to go (HATE that!)

Frantically leave

Pick Ellie up from dance

Pick up take and bakes

Get home

Get call from neighbor laughing and telling me that her little boy, who I had watched earlier that day, was still in my basement playing when I left to get Ellie............oh dear!


How this happened is still unclear! Our house is busy. There are always neighbor kids, and my own kids, coming in and out. Typically however, I know who is in and who is out. Or at least I thought so. Evidently little Hayden was in, when I thought he was out.
So I learned:

Don't assume you know who is in and who is out!
Don't assume your kids know who is in and who is out!
Don't assume that when you see Hayden run home to his mom, that he won't come back to play without you knowing!
Don't assume when you are frantic and yelling that it is time to leave ALL the kids in the house will come running!

I have learned quite a bit after being a mom for 8+ years. I suppose that this lesson would be don't assume anything! Before I was a parent I thought I had it figured out. How hard could it be?? I remember working at Kmart and watching moms and kids shopping and thinking - 'my kid will never do that'. I have eaten my words many times. If I was asked 8+ years ago if I would leave a child unknowingly unattended in my house I would have said no way. Again, I eat my words. I find myself doing and saying many things I never though I would. I find things flying out of my mouth that 8+ years ago in my confident and naive state would not have thought necessary to explain such as: 'don't put your head in the toilet', 'stop peeing in the backyard', 'stop hitting the neighbor's tree with a bat', etc. etc. etc. Motherhood is an unpredictable humbling experience!!

Thank goodness little Hayden was not scared. In fact he was unaware that he was even alone, until 1/2 hour after I left and his sister was relentlessly ringing the doorbell, which he decided to answer. Thank goodness his mom has a sense of humor and understands what it is like raising 4 kids. All I could tell her is that I was glad that he feels at home in our house!