Quiet Time = Water Play
by Crissie Hasenzahl - Mother of two "high-spirited" kids, a 2 year old and an almost 4 year old
A month or two ago my sister called to tell me the "Super Nanny"
show was doing auditions in Kansas City for families for next season's show.
I remember thinking, "How insulting! I don't need that show. My children
are angels. They are just full of energy." That was before the toilet
incident. Next time the Super Nanny comes to town, I'll be first in line.
Here's a story of a little trouble my "angels" got into. Unfortunately,
this would not be an isolated incident and there are so many more stories
of Cole and Hannah's highjinx together. Enjoy!
On a recent uneventful Friday afternoon I put my two year old, Cole and
my three year old, Hannah in their rooms for naptime or as we call it, Quiet
Time. Ah, Quiet Time. It would be the time when the kids go to their rooms
and play, read books, or if I'm lucky, SLEEP! Quiet Time is when I shower,
do laundry, check email, clean up the dried oatmeal off the table, etc.
This day was no different and Quiet Time started out normally. About 30
minutes into the supposed Quiet Time, I went to the kitchen and was rinsing
some dishes when I heard rushing water. Hannah flushing the toilet upstairs,
maybe? Yes, that's it, I thought. But then a tiny drop of water dripped
from the pendant light above my head. I looked up (yes, I'm an idiot and
it still didn't register) and saw water dripping, or should I say pouring,
out of one of the recessed lights in the kitchen. I go around the kitchen
island and see a huge puddle of water on the floor and a sopping rug. I
am now running a full on sprint (something I really haven't done since,
well, ever). I get upstairs in .01 seconds and find Hannah and Cole dancing
in an inch of water and the toilet overflowing. I freak and start looking
for that water valve that Bob Vila once talked about in a home show. Thank
God I watch home improvement shows! I turn it every which way and the water
does NOT stop. I call my husband, Kirk because this falls into his department
- household repairs, right? He had the nerve to tell me to take care of
it. Which for a moment I wondered did that mean I could sell the children
and move to Italy? I did end up getting the valve to turn off the water
and started the clean up. 17 wet towels later the mess was gone and only
a tiny mark on the ceiling below the toilet. I'm assured that mold will
not grow and that once it's dry there will be no reason to worry about the
toilet water that rained from the ceiling. In case you were wondering, an
entire roll of toilet paper will NOT flush down the toilet. And flushing
multiple times is not a good idea. We spent a very long time in the Naughty
spot. Ironically, Cole is now showing some interest in toilet training.
We were sure he would go to Kindergarten in a diaper. But now he seems to
like the potty. Go figure. Naturally, this all happened just hours before
my excessively neat, germaphobic sister-in-law came to stay with us. Why
do these things only happen when you need the house to at least LOOK clean!
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