Parenting Cubed

I'm exhausted!!!!!!!!!
no, really, beyond exhausted...........

These 2 little devils have managed to suck the life out of me today!!!!!!! I hate that, I started the day thinking, what a wonderful day..
. yeah right.....

we had breakfast together, laughing, I went upstairs, smiling thinking of all the things I could do with the kids today. Maybe I could take paint out, then gymnastics at 12:30pm, and then out for lunch!! FUN FUN FUN.

yeah right......


Well, I got out of my 15 second shower, dressed and called out to the kids... "Lily..what are you guys doing?" Lily says "watching TV and reading books" awwwww... man those 2 are wonderful. yeah right.....
I decide to go ahead and take the time to dry my hair since they are being so good. It takes me all of 2 mins.
I make my way downstairs to the playroom and I almost faint when I eyes fall upon the playroom!!!!!!

OMG, THEY HAD TAKEN EVERY TOY OUT OF EVERY BIN, EVERY BOOK OUT, EVERYTHING THEY COULD MANAGE TO GET THEIR LITTLE GRIMY HANDS ON THEY TOOK OUT AND PROMPTLY DUMPED IT ONTO THE FLOOR.
They even CLIMBED the toy rack to get at the things on the very top, things that take me 2 hands to carry!!!
Every square inch of that whole room was covered with toys, and books and chalk actually, it had toys on top of toys on top of toys from one end to the other.
Now, you have to realize something, I taught preschool in that same room for years. So I have toys and books, crayons and markers and paper for a preschool. Lets just say A LOT of stuff.

Ohhh I LOST IT!!!!! I almost cried! But I think what made it worst, was as I was loosing it waving arms, yelling, the little DEVILS laughed! They thought Mommy was being funny!
(I suppose I did look funny to them) but I didn't find it funny.

It took me 3 hours to clean it up. They HAD to help, but after 5 mins lost the point of it. I took 90% of the toys, and books, and sent them all to the basement. The only toys I left in the room are a small bin of people, small bin of cars, the kitchen center and the food, and 4 little stuffed animals.
I then sectioned off the room in 2, one half with the couch and the TV, the other with the toys.
I put the big preschool table across the room, as my divider and now, toys are no longer allowed out of the room or over to the TV side.
I think they kind of got the point when they came back in from outside, and the room was cleaned out, and when they tried to run around with toys out of the room, and I wouldn't let them. They stood by the door, with toys in their hands for minutes at a time...

They used to be able to run around the rooms and into the kitchen with their shopping carts!
NO MORE!! Everything stays in the little section I gave them!!
at least until I cool down!


Here is a pic, from this summer, to give an example of the room. The first one I there were at least 10 moms, and 12 kids, and the room still in good shape!

NOW, Here it is TODAY!!!!

Here is the nice book holder that Frank made, now empty! Looks sad doesn't it.
From what I can figure, they climbed it to get to the books on top.

and here is the steel book holder, in the playroom, now filled with board books or coloring books only.

At least they weren't fighting while doing this! Does that mean progress???

Sigh........ I'm going to bed........