Day 3

Bela was sick in bed all day, cuddled up to my (new!) computer watching our entire iTunes library's worth of movies. Swiss Family Robinson, The Little Mermaid, The Princess Frog, The Scarecrow.

Gill, Mae and I only escaped the house once to run a few errands. I'm on a roll with the wiring of the lights, man. Or at least a wavering, wobbly stumble. Today, I set out to install the lovely sconces I ordered a month ago from Etsy. Our dining room has had two holes in the wall with wires sticking out since I ripped out the ugly ones the day we moved in. That was almost 2 years ago.

I didn't accomplish the task. I got as far as Home Depot. Standing in the lighting aisle with zinc plated nipples in my hand, I struggled to find the "female loop" I needed to go with my nipples and my hickey. And I couldn't bring myself to ask.

After many minutes of chasing Gill and squinting at the offerings on the shelf, I found (I think) all the strangely named girly parts I need to illuminate the dining room. And I think I'll do it tomorrow.

Mae was a very sweet bedside assistant today, until she wasn't. That happened around dinner time. She came storming into the kitchen on another "errand" for sick Bela.

"Mom, I'm tired of always having to do what Bela wants! She asks me to do everything for her!"

I kneeled down to her height and said in my calm, wise mommy voice:

"Mae, you cannot control what Bela does. You can only control how you react to it. She will always ask you to do things for her. If you don't want to, then you have to say no."

"But she'll yell at me!"

"Again, you cannot control what Bela does. You can only control how you react to it."

I know, I know. I really choked on this as it came out, because I KNOW this is true, and yet I NEVER follow it myself.

Anyway, feeling very wise and very mommy, I went about my cooking and cleaning until it was time to wrangle the loose monkey in the house and put her to bed.

I called from the couch where I was nursing Gill for the night - "Girls! Please shut the bedroom door and turn down the volume on the movie. I'm trying to put Gill to bed!"

I heard Mae sigh and start to get mad, and then it was like a light went off. I heard her mutter to Bela: "I'm not going to do that. I can control me."

Backfire.

Muffin thief