Another evening with Taz

My little Taz. I love him dearly, but it's good he's the last one, he just wears me out!

We heat with wood so as soon we get home my first task is to put wood in the stove and if the fire's out to start it again. It is also time for snack when we get home. As such, Jesse usually heads to the kitchen to see what he can drag out of the cupboard to eat on his own. Not something I condone, but I only have so many hands and eyes. Generally he'll get fruit snacks out and then come and find me to open them.

I was struggling with getting the fire started and it was taking me awhile and I realized I hadn't seen or heard Jesse in several minutes. That's always a bad sign. I sent Noah off to find him to see what he was doing.

Noah reported back, "He's standing on my chair eating bananas."

"Oh, is he eating the peel or was he able to get the peel off?" as I'm blowing on the fire.

"He's not eating the peel, he's getting it out with his hands."

The wood starts popping so I rush to the kitchen to see the damage. Jesse has pulled apart two of the bananas and is digging out the flesh with his hands. It could certainly be worse. I clean him up and the "big boys" are wanting to play Wii.

Our Wii had needed repaired and it was waiting for us when we got home so the boys quickly did their homework so we could hook the Wii back up. I opened the box and busied myself plugging everything back in and syncing the remotes. I turn around to find Jesse playing in the packing peanuts. You know the ones that absorb static and you can't seem to clean up? Luckily he hadn't dumped them all out yet.

I sent Noah to get the broom so I could keep Jesse from making the mess bigger. It took awhile but eventually Noah and I got them swept up. Jesse's gone again. Where is he now?

I start calling him and head back to the kitchen. He's standing on Noah's chair back with the bananas, did I not throw them away? Crap! I didn't; I got distracted. Only this time he has emptied the big salt shaker all over the bananas, the counter, the toaster, the chair, the floor. He looks up at me when I walk in and says, "Meash!"

"Yes Jesse, it's a big mess." We get to work cleaning it up, but salt stuck in mushy banana is not easy to wipe up or sweep up. I washed his hands and sent him to get the broom-I had left it in the living room after cleaning up the packing peanuts.

He toddled off, but went for the vacuum, and that might work better. I vacuumed up all the salt, but the floor still felt gritty so I'd have to mop it, but after they're in bed. Since I had the sweeper out I took it to the living room swept around the fireplace, it always has bits of wood and bark. I do just the rug there in front of the fireplace every day and only takes about 2 minutes. I finished that and put the sweeper away.

I went back to the kitchen to try once again to start dinner. Only upon entering I realize that while I was sweeping Jesse went back in the kitchen. He got out the Grape-Nuts [Nutty Nuggets] and spilled half of the box on my chair and the kitchen floor. I drug the sweeper back out and swept the chair and floor. The floor really needs mopped now.

At this point I'm wondering if I'll ever get to fix dinner or if I'll just follow Jesse around all night cleaning up after him. It was getting ridiculous. I knew he was making those messes because he's hungry but I couldn't fix dinner because I was busy cleaning up his messes. It's a vicious cycle!

I was just starting dinner when Jesse found the can of Pringles and dashed off with it. I just wanted to let him run away and eat them so I could fix dinner, but then he won't eat his real dinner and he can't grow up right on Pringles! And besides with how the evening was going I knew he'd just spill them. And then step on them to mash them up so I'd have to sweep again. And it would probably be on the carpet.

I dashed after him and put them away and made him sit at the table while I made dinner. As I got things ready to eat I would put them on his plate so he had things to eat and the boy loves to eat. It's about the only sure fire way to keep him occupied!