Why???

I don’t know exactly possessed me to agree to watch my friends’ three children while she and her husband took their first vacation in 7 years to Mexico. I imagine it had something to do with the fact that she was my daughters after-school and overnight business trip babysitter while I was insanely trying to prove myself to the powers-that-be in my corporate job that I could truly be a single mom and still work 16 hours a day and fly all over the country at a moment’s notice. More posts on that later, but for now I keep repeating in my head over and over “what the HELL was I thinking”????

Three girls, ages 7, 5 and 3 that seem to be both everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. Every 3 minutes I seem to have lost one and have to go hunting for the favorite hiding places. No amount of mommy blogs that I have read over the years has prepared me for this experience. I have known these kids since they were born, even babysat a few evenings to allow the parents some time to breath, but 9 days with three kids? Right now the house looks as if every box, cabinet, basket and drawer has opened up and barfed its contents everywhere. There is an entire tribe of stuffed animals that have been shoved underneath the couches and coffee tables. I tried to start removing them only to have all three girls begin yelling at me that the animals are NAPPING and I am not to disturb them.

I went to the laundry room to begin working on the 16 piles of dirty clothes and towels that have accumulated in only 7 days, and when I returned to the living room I found that in the 2.5 minutes it took me to start a load of wash, the kids had managed to open a bag of Chex Mix, crunch it up in their hands and scatter it all around the room. I had wondered why they had been laughing hysterically while I was gone. I’m not sure I even know where the vacuum cleaner is in this house. Everywhere I walk now I feel the crunch of snacks under my feet. I’m thinking about just letting the dog in the house to munch on the carnage.

My whole body hurts from helping them learn how to do cartwheels, lifting them up onto the swingset, twirling them around in the backyard, picking them up when they have a boo-boo or just need a little loving. I have syrup in my hair, dried pancake mix on my shirt and haven’t taken a shower in two days because by the time I get them in bed I am so exhausted that the most I can do is turn on the dishwasher and collapse into bed fully clothed (which reminds me, must wash the sheets before parents get home).

There is not enough coffee, Red Bull or Monster drinks in the world for me right now. No matter how many hours, sweat and stress I used to put into my corporate job, I have never been this tired in my life.

Is it bad of me that I got a tiny twinge of giggles when I realized that my friend and her husband had three days of hurricane weather in Cabo while I have been here? Hee Hee.