Boobie Traps

Two nights ago Collin is tying pink ribbon all over the mud room.  "Collin it's time for dinner." The response I get it "Just a second mom I've got to finish making my boobie trap".  Ok - Whatever.

Finally finish dinner and everyone goes to the office.  Craft time - Riley has some project at school that she has to make a bunch of stuff to sell.  She leaves an open bottle of glue in the middle of the room on the floor.  Of course - You guessed it - Collin spills it and gets glue all over my floor.  "Ah, sorry mom"
Me: "Could you guys go play in the other room please"
Collin: "Come on Ben"
Ben: "Where are we going?"
Collin "To make a potion."
Ben "Ok" and they leave.

Enter Wyatt into kitchen "WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING!!??!!"
Collin: "Making a volcano."
Wyatt: "Mom!! They have water and soap all over the kitchen table and freezer door."
Me: "Could you please go get a towel and wipe up the water.  I don't even want to go in there right now" as I'm hot gluing pictures to pencils for Riley's craft project at school.

Now it's bedtime.  I ask the kids to go downstairs and get in bed while I finish cleaning up the messes.  You know the usual - pouring wet soapy newspapers out of cups and throwing out the left over noodles from dinner because they have dish soap all over them.

While I'm doing this Riley and Wyatt are reading the littles the riot act downstairs.
"HOW COULD YOU DO ALL THAT!" "DON'T YOU KNOW THAT MOM IS JUST ONE PERSON TAKING CARE OF ALL 4 OF US!" yada yada yada.  I go downstairs.
Riley: "Mom, I'm sorry.  I'm just so frustrated with them."  I get it.
Goodnight Riley.
Goodnight Wyatt.
Me to Ben and Collin: "Boys, why do you do these things?"
Ben: "We're making traps to catch the leprechauns."
Me: "Really? I think that we are a little out of season for the leprechauns."
Collin: "Nope.  They're coming."
Me: "Ok.  Goodnight boys."

Jason gets home and I share the night events.  He's cracking up.  "I know this is going to start something but I have to leave a note."
NOTE: "I've disarmed all of your boobie traps.  HAHA - The Leprechauns." With pieces of ribbon and newspaper all around it left over from the boobie traps and volcano.

Morning - The note is read.
Wyatt informs the boys that their plan was flawed because you have to leave gold if you want to trap a leprechaun.  Riley asks me if I wrote the note.  I can honestly answer no.  I had to rewrite the note to show her it wasn't my handwriting.  Then it was dad.  Wyatt answers "no - go get my journal.  Dad's handwriting is in there and it's way messier."

Conclusion: IT HAD TO BE THE LEPRECHAUNS!

How NOT to pay for your lost library book

Wyatt came home with a note on Monday saying that he still has a book out at the library.  I asked him to go look for it, but he never did.  I followed up with him later in the afternoon and he was going to look for it a little bit.  He NEVER went to look for it and that was the last on heard.

..... UNTIL .....

Wednesday afternoon when I receive this email from Wyatt's 1st grade teacher:

Hi Erika,

Wyatt is upset he can’t check out a library book and is working hard to problem solve the issue.    The book he owes is Let’s Mix.  It costs $6.00 if it is lost.  He asked me if I could take the money from his lunch money account on Tuesday and brought in gift cards today to pay for it.  I told him to put the gift cards in his backpack and told him that I was sorry that the gift cards weren’t for the library. 

Now let me add to this.  The gift cards he brought in were cards that my kids took from the cash register counter at the Goodwill Store and pocketed without me noticing.  None of the cards have any money on them since they are STOLEN. Normally I catch my people doing this, but apparently missed this one.  (Just another perk to taking 4 short people to the store with you.)

Now put yourself in the teachers shoes with this child giving her Goodwill gift cards to pay his library fees.  You can just imagine what was going through her head.  

Conclusion: Wyatt spent 3 days thinking of solutions to "how not to look for my lost library book".  I'll give him resourceful, but add LAZY to it.

My question really is: Wouldn't it of been easier to just look for the lost book????