Destruction--in detail

After a week filled with a forgotten mother's day, a funeral, traveling with the kids, and a birthday party with 22 guests, the only thing I wanted to do last night was curl up with a glass of wine and watch the season finale of Desperate Housewives.

I didn't think I was asking for much. And neither did Ella, as she dutifully went to sleep around 7 o'clock. The boys, on the other hand, didn't understand the necessity of my request.

Max now has a toddler bed in Cameron's room...well, now it's "their" room, so that we can move Ella into Max's room, and into a full-size crib. Max, however, didn't see the need to stay in his bed, and Cameron felt it necessary to inform me everytime Max slithered out of his new bed. Most of my TV viewing time involved yelling at the two boys as they congregated at the top of the stairs, then tromping up the stairs myself to help them find their beds again.

At one point during my upstairs trek, I walked by the powder room and noticed an outhouse-like odor. Cameron often forgets to flush the toilet, so I thought that was the issue. But the toilet bowl was clean. I searched around the small closet-like room and peeked into the trashcan. I could not believe what I saw. In there was a puddle of urine! I immediately marched into the boys' room and questioned Cameron. He denied doing it, and I continued to tell him to stop lying to me. Then he tried to tell me that he thought he saw Max doing it, exposing his own guilt even more. Feeling my blood boil and my temper skyrocketing, I went outside where Melvin was working on the lawn and asked him to deal with it, because I really just couldn't.

Cameron's explanation for what he did:
The lying: "I didn't want to get in trouble."
The peeing: "I got confused."
I hope he doesn't continue to have these brain leaks as a five year old.

He quickly went to sleep after that.

My husband suggested that I finish my show in the basement so that Max wouldn't be distracted by the sound of the TV. I made my way downstairs and finished the season finale on the big screen, in peace.....

....Until I returned upstairs, only to find Max sitting at my laptop, picking apart the keyboard...again.

I almost cried I felt so defeated. I was able to fix many of the needed keys....except for the one I use most often....the space bar. Instead of a bar, I now have to search with my thumb for a millimeter wide rubber stub in order to activate the space function. VERY annoying.

Tonight I've been playing the same "get in bed" routine with Max. I hope he falls asleep before SuperNanny comes on. Either she can give me some pointers, or else I'll just feel better that someone has kids MUCH worse than my own.