First: A bit of business…Thank you to everyone who entered the Philips Sound Giveaway! Click here and scroll down to view the winner in the Rafflecopter box of the giveaway post. I’ve emailed the winner to obtain shipping address information. I hope that they enjoy their ActionFit headphones as much as I do.
And now…Back to our regularly scheduled post:
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It was 6:50 pm. Twin A and The Small One were on the floor in the family room, trash talking their way through a game of Go Fish. Twin B sat on the couch in the adjacent living room, playing a game of Words with Friends on his Ipod. He kept glancing at the wall clock in anticipation.
I made my way over to him, sat down, and peered over his shoulder. “Ridiculous,” I said.
He looked up and widened his eyes in a moment of confusion followed by indignance before he realized that I had just supplied him with his next move. He smiled. “Thanks, Mom.”
“No problem whatsoever.” We sat in silence for few moments. Then I offered, “You are going to put that away when it’s time for the sitter to start, right?”
“Of course, Mom. I’ll leave it in my room for the night.”
“Good…good.” I stroked his blond hair which was in dire need of a back-to-school trim. ”And while we’re on the topic of the sitter…let’s review: When’s bedtime again?”
He didn’t hesitate or look up from Words with Friends. “Nine o’clock sharp.”
“And before bedime? What’s going to happen?”
Realizing that I needed his full attention in this matter, my son carefully put down his Ipod and fixed his blue eyes upon mine. ”We’ll play board games and Legos. No more than an hour of TV. We’ll read books before bedtime and brush teeth. But…ummm…what if the sitter wants to leave treats on pillows for a little surprise in the morning?
“I think that’s a great idea. I sure hope everyone behaves.”
“No worries, Mom.”
“What if you run out of ways to stay amused?”
“I’ve got my Bag of Fun with Apples to Apples, Hot Wheels and track in it.” He gestured toward the stairway where a drawstring tote sat, the black track with the orange stripes poking out of the top.
“Oh, I’m not worried…I’m just going over the basics for good measure. I was now intently focused on taming the cowlick toward the back of his crown. ”And what if…what if there’s an emergency?”
“There are emergency phone numbers on the side of the fridge. Plus, I’ve known 9-1-1 since I was, like, three, Mom.” He playfully pushed my hand aside and rearranged his hair so that it fell over his eyebrows once again.
Gwen the Rescued Foxhound-Beagle Mix began to bark as car headlights flooded our entryway through the front door window.
“YES!” Twin B exclaimed, jumping to his feet and peering out the window.
“Ok, hon…this is it…make me proud, OK?”
“Mom. Haven’t I every time?”
I thought about this. ”Yes. Of course you have. I’ve always heard wonderful things the next morning.”
“So don’t worry…ok?”
“It’s my job, dude.” I rose from the couch and kissed him on his forehead. My son grabbed the Bag of Fun from its resting spot, heaved it over his shoulder, trotted down the driveway, and disappeared behind the glare of the headlights.
My son…the babysitter.
