Forgive me children, for I have sinned.

Tonight has been somewhat frustrating.  Adrian has been home for 10 months now and I'm getting soft.  He has to work all night tonight, and I think it has us all feeling strange.  Isabella keeps saying "Da" and "Mail" because she knows he should be home and they go get the mail together, LOL.  Orian didn't notice anything was up until it got dark then he started wondering, haha.

As I was washing dishes, I asked the boys to pick up in the living room.  Washing dishes is a special treat because Isabella "helps".  Now, when you're unloading the dishwasher to put things away, she gets everything out and hands it to you, which is genuinely helpful.  When you're LOADING the dishwasher (which we don't run on wash, btw, haha, we just use it to dry the dishes, long story) she takes everything out and either plays with it or gives it to you to put away.  It is VERY cute and VERY frustrating.

For every cup or dish I got in the dishwasher, one item would come out.  She particularly likes utensils.  Then came the clomping up the stairs.  Then the screaming.  Then the crying.  I went into the living room to sort things out and Xavier bounded down the stairs.  Isabella had had a diaper change just before we started washing dishes and usually one of the boys throws away the diaper (it was wrapped in a little sack meant for diapers that has a nice baby powder scent).  Xavier held this bag in his hand.  He was tearful.  I asked him what happened while Orian sobbed upstairs.

Apparently, Xavier felt Orian was not doing his fair share of cleaning (this is a common problem...Orian is lazy and Xavier thinks he's Orian's employer or father figure) and chased him up the stairs with the diaper in a sack.  When he caught up with him he shoved the sack in Orian's face.  Orian responded by screaming and elbowing him in the face.  Xavier then punched Orian in the side of the head, hence the sobbing.

I was soooo angry.  I am usually one who can keep my cool and keep things the kids do in perspective, but when they are really mean to each other it upsets me so much.  I was shouting.  I felt like I was going to explode.  I had Xavier throw the diaper away and then...

I made him clean a toilet.

I can't decide if this is brilliant or really cruel and horrible.  I got him a scrubbing pad and some gloves, poured some vinegar in the toilet and told him to scrub.  The toilet wasn't gross, but it was not as clean as the others.  He was crying.

I went back to washing the dishes.  Orian finished picking up the living room (he thinks putting things on the couch or a table = cleaning).  I made him finish picking up the living room for real a second time.  After he finished, he talked to me and told me he feels kind of bad when Xavier gets in trouble.  I was proud of him for that.  Empathy is good. 

I went to check on Xavier and I would have let him off the hook, but he said he wasn't finished, so I let him scrub more and told him to tell me when he was finished. 

Poor guy.

I was frazzled at that point and making, another bad mommy thing, "cereal milk".  The boys go through so much milk and most of it with their cereal.  To save money, I make a pitcher of powdered milk with condensed milk added to it for better flavor.  It's the only milk they're allowed to eat with their cereal.

I wasn't paying attention to the directions on the box.  I scooped out 7 and a half cups of the powdered milk and the whole time I was thinking, wow, this box isn't lasting very long.  This sure seems like a lot of powder...I don't remember it taking this much for 2 quarts.

D'oh.  7 and a half cups water.  2 and 2/3 cup powdered milk. 

Arrgh.  I can't believe I did that.  And, shamefully, I poured the powdered milk back into a ziplock bag and re-measured.  I didn't want to waste it, and I hadn't put the water in yet...soooo...

The boys are playing nicely now and Isabella is in my arms, drifting off to sleep, so no permanent damage today, I think.  Their therapist may say otherwise 10 years from now.