Monkey Antics

This has been some week, let me tell you. For some reason (perhaps the heat? Mama's lessened energy due to the heat?) Little Monkey has been extra diligent in her creativity and antics. I'm sure I've only recorded a fraction of them here: I wrote them down occasionally, but those I didn't are blocked into that recess of the mind where goes the impact moment of a head-on collision and other such things.

She got into the arrowroot powder. I do mean "into" it. Her dress and skin were a dusky white, the floor of the kitchen was pure white, and she moved the whole production into the family room, presumably to maximize impact. I had to vacuum her.

Apparently several pounds of pinto beans are more appealing on the floor than in the bag. And yes, I try considerably hard to keep things out of her reach. She is, remember, a Monkey.

Thank God whatever evil pharmaceutical company produces Benadryl does it with childproof packaging. Those bright pink pills must look SOOOO tasty! Again, for the record, those are kept where even I must stretch to reach them, and I am 5'10". So far, the haircutting scissors suspended from the kitchen ceiling have not been breached.

I left the mop and water out for 5 seconds too long; you can guess how that worked out.

After watching me select a needle from a packet of 50 (to remove Big Sister's sliver she got because she got in the car for town day without shoes - yes, it's been a week), she later selected many, many more to disperse on and within the quilt I use when resting on the couch. So far no 'accidental' discoveries or injuries.

She figured out how to open my file box, and did so, removing several files and their contents, and arranging them in a very random manner.

Several armloads of blankets and sheets were removed from the hall closet for an unknown purpose, and placed at every point between said closet and her bed. Unfolded, of course. (Note to self; re-organize hall closet)

While taking a brief trip to the potty, and still within my eyesight (yes, that plan has been instituted), a swishing noise made me look closer, to find her rinsing her shorts in the potty.

In an effort to more involve the girls in chores and household upkeep, I bought 2 ostrich-feather dusters on Thursday. Before they had much chance to be used constructively, she had secreted one away and gave it a rather thorough haircut. Her room and everything in it now needs a rather thorough vacuuming, but at least I know where those scissors had disappeared to.

During an evening exploratory trip, she rubbed Vick's vapo-rub all over her chest, arms, belly, and legs. Daddy discovered this, but Mama set to work trying to remove it from her skin. WHAT do they put in that stuff? Crisco would come off more easily, I surmise. She survived, but even my hands were burning as I tried to fall asleep that night.

What to do? There are a few problem areas here. Bedtime is not respected (speaking of, last night she tore some pages out of a child's dictionary while 'reading' in bed). There are a few reasons for this, and I need to come up with a plan. YES, she gets disciplined for getting up. The sun is setting at 10 pm right now, and that makes it hard. The place doesn't cool down until the sun goes down. I am exhausted by 8 pm (or earlier), and perhaps my diligence lacks. The girls not only share a room, but share a bed - one girl at each end, but this makes for too much play and kicking/horsing around problems - at least before sleep comes. Many of her 'antics' occur during this time when she is supposed to be in bed, but goes on little expeditions. I'm glad I caught the 2 dolly-bathtubs of water before she spilled them on the sheets.

What I have tried to counteract this problem: A fan in the room. Blinds and a blanket on the window (blanket is tough - it blocks the breeze we count on overnight to cool the house). Putting the girls side-by-side in bed (didn't work or last, and Big Sister can't use the top bunk, because she's lately taken to wetting the bed again [after many, many months of waking to pee], and a top bunk just isn't conducive to such training). I've sat for an hour and supervised their bedtime. Didn't seem to help, but I only did it once. I tried putting them to bed separately, but it doesn't seem reasonable to have one up for an untold amount of time while waiting for the other to fall asleep - especially when I'm trying to rest in bed myself.

To Do: Have hubby help me disassemble the 'bunks' so they can sleep separately. I fear for the acrobatic temptation this may create - a top bunk is handy for discouraging such play. Perhaps I'll try separate bedtimes again, if reasonable. I'll try to stay away from wrapping her and the mattress in bungee cords.

The other main problem area is while we're doing outdoor chores and gardening in the mornings. Suddenly I'll realize that she isn't right beside me sitting on the tomato plants or mashing the beets, and she'll have gone indoors for some dark purpose. By the time I get up from my hands and knees and hobble my way into the house, damage control is in order, as is discipline. So far my only idea to prevent this is to use that big tow-chain the kids found, and anchor one end in the lawn, and the other to my Monkey. I think that might be frowned upon by the community at large, though.

It is supposed to get up well into the 100s this week, and I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I don't suppose I have much choice, either way, actually. I need to remember that "I can do all things..." and "His grace is sufficient..."