Doodles and Blueberries

I wish I put the same amount of thought and reflection into my my toughest life decisions, as my 5 year old puts into her snack choices. The scenario went a little something like this..."Mama can I have some blueberries?"(my 5 year old)
"Sure, honey." I say.
"But mama I don't like blueberries, can I have some doodles?"(my 3 year old)
"Yes, I will get you doodles." I reply.
I then say to my 5 year old, "Are you sure you don't want doodles, because I am getting them for your brother?"
With a very witty and coy face, my five year old says, "Can't I have both?" "Nope."
"Okay, then I'll have blueberries, not doodles." She responds.
I cautiously proceed to the kitchen to retrieve two bowls, one with blueberries, one with doodles. I carefully measure out the snacks, being sure to divvy them out evenly to avoid any kind of dispute. I hand the bowls to my three year old son and five year old daughter. Just as I think I am out of the woods, my daughter turns to me and says, "Mama...I think I want doodles."
"Yes, I know you do," I reply.

Thursday Mornings

As the sun arose that morning, I awoke surprisingly refreshed and ready to face a new day. As I headed towards the kitchen for my morning cup of Joe, I heard a sound. A sound that stopped me dead in my tracks. This sound is one that would change my outlook and attitude for the entire day, maybe even the week. It was the sound of the doorbell.

Three seconds later, I heard the shrieks of my three children, "They're here!" Reality set in, "Oh," I thought, "It's Thursday." The front door flung open just wide enough to indent the adjacent wall, just a bit more. In traipse my niece and nephew.

It wasn't that I didn't love them, or love babysitting them every week. Really, I'm not a bad aunt. It was the chaos and destruction of the combination of the two toddlers, two preschoolers and one kindergartner, that I feared most. Picture this--it's kind of like say a chocolate brownie. One is sweet and delicious, the perfect ending to a hot meal. But two, maybe even five, and you're stuck in the bathroom all night, wishing you had had all your teeth pulled, and were on a pure liquid diet. What's the old saying? "Everything in Moderation." Be forewarned, this applies to brownies and children.