A Mother's Work Is Never Finished

Or maybe that should read "No good deed goes unpunished."

The kids were each busy - Kelton doing an art project at the kitchen table and Kaylen watching Dora in the living room - which made it a perfect time to sweep and mop the kitchen floor. I get to work feeling quite proud of myself because getting it done before dinner is sure to make the after dinner chore time that much easier.

So there I am, mopping away when suddenly I hear Kaylen calling to me. Only...she isn't calling from the next room. I go to find her and she is in my bedroom standing on the treadmill covered from head to toe in white creamy lotion. One quick survey around the room left me feeling like I wanted to run away from home. Lotion everywhere. Everywhere. The dresser, the bed, the pillows, the lampshade, the bedside table, the treadmill...all of it covered in small white, greasy hand prints.

I wiped her down first and sent her to sit on her bed while I worked at cleaning up the room. When I had a mound of laundry to wash (so much for having fewer chores to do this evening) and had done the best I could with wiping the hand prints off of things like the lampshade (ummm...yeah. Good thing we have new bedside lamps sitting the garage waiting to be installed on the wall because that lotion is never coming off the fabric black shades. I just turned it so the least of the damage is outward.) I went into her room and asked if she knew why I sent her to her room.

She said "Yes mommy. Me leave prints, prints, prints everywhere." I asked if she understood that it was wrong of her to have done that. Yes, she knew. She even apologized to me.

I hugged her and sent her on her way to play.

Prints prints prints everywhere. Indeed.