It sounded like a good idea at the time...

We had a delightful morning here at Casa de Richards.
Boys played well, we danced and sang together to the Dan Zanes video (that thing is gonna be warped from overuse any day now), ate healthy snacks, played outside a little...and had a yummy lunch. I even got laundry done. J didn't nap so well, but that always means he'll take an even longer one in the afternoon, so all was fine there...
As I type, they're both napping, so I'll try and make this short, as I'm on borrowed time.
This, of course, assuming that I know how to be short-winded with my stories...what a lovely and totally unrealistic idea.

Well, the picture of domestic/family bliss from our morning was soon shattered.
We had about 45 minutes-ish before naptime, so I called up Katie and asked what they were doing. They were in the same boat, so "come on over and they can play before naps". Great idea. Finally got my cup of coffee (actually don't get a chance to drink it some days until lunchtime!), got J in the stroller, and we all walked over to Katie's house.
Benjamin b-lined it for their playroom, heading straight to the cars. Lilly worked with her puzzles, and Jonathan speed-crawled around the house. We weren't there more than five minutes and Benjamin started hyper-ventillating because Riedan (who just learned to walk) was trying to take B's cars. Maybe it was the close-to-naptime frenzies, maybe it was because these were different cars than his own and were thus WAY too precious to share, or maybe it was because he's so effing tired of hearing the effing word "share". Honestly, I have no idea. But the child would NOT cope with the situation well at all. Finally redirected him to play at the other end of the table, after graciously doling out two cars from his stash to Riedan.
Jonathan finds the LeapFrog table and practically foams at the mouth he's so stinkin excited. So he was happy...and, as I assumed (you can sense the danger now, I'm sure) pretty occupied for the time being.
Riedan makes it down to Benjamin's end of the table and immediately swipes the "moto-cycle" from B.

Well, that did it. Benjamin looks at me and starts to yell "mommy! no share!! not ours!! benjamin no share!! nooooooo!!!"....so, using my calm-mommy voice (as I am, after all, in the presence of one of EGR's most beloved kindergarten teachers) tell Benjamin he needs to either share the cars or put them away. He takes the only car he has left and chucks it at me. In one fell swoop I set my coffee cup down on the floor (your sense of danger is growing here, no?), checking to make sure J's still happy at the LeapFrog table...and whisk Benjamin into the other room, borrowing their "naughty step" for a few moments. In the background I hear Katie talking to Lilly, explaining why Benjamin was on the "naughty step", and that she knows that Lilly can help Benjamin put the toys away when he gets back, etc....yada...yada...B finally calms down and says "mommy, Benjin (this is his name for himself when he's sad or pissed off) play with cars...riedan cars...not ours...Benjin put toys awayyyy." I walk with him back into the room, just in time to see J-man cruising our way. And that's when he knocks the coffee cup over. All over their carpet. I know...not the end of the world, but Katie's house is always immaculate (she's the kind of "type A" that I dream of being...sigh) and free from stains. She insists, between my apologies and rants, that she has a "gazillion" stains to clean up, so "no worries". I decide to take her up on this, even though as I take a quick survey of the room I see not a one in sight...but let's be honest, it's time for mutha-effin naps and we need to bolt. So off we go.
As we're crossing the street, B decides to take off his crocs and start jumping in the puddles. J starts crying cause he's hungry, and I realize I left my coffee cup by her kitchen sink. So I cruise back to her house (only 1 house away), Jonathan's hair practically windblown from the speed, leaving Benjamin with his barefeet and puddle, and she meets me at the driveway with the coffee mug.

We get home and I turn on Dan Zanes (way over our TV quota for the day already) while getting J his lunch. It's while I'm in the kitchen cutting up J's food that I hear the monster-sized vase full of roses (yes, Brian got them for me while he was traveling last week, but now's not the time for sentiment) come crashing down and spilling water all over the tv room carpet.

Really no need to go further than that, I imagine.
Both boys are sleeping, so I'm going to consider my job done for the day, even though it's only half over. Anything I do--or don't do--for them beyond this point is merely gravy. And I'm not taking any responsibility for how non-creative it may be.

Brian gets off work shortly after 5, and then I'm off to the MAC. And then it's time for some "Don't Stop Believin"...I can hear the opening keyboard melody now, even as I type.

Bring it, Steve Perry.