As The Washing Machine Spins: Drama In The Laundry Room

Yesterday, I debated on what today's blog topic would be.  I had a number of great ideas, but finally ended up deciding on one subject before bedtime.  Then I picked up a book to read so it would occupy my restless mind before I went to sleep. 

Upon waking this morning, I discovered that I would be washing an extra load of laundry that I hadn't intended to wash today.  I put my blog post on the backburner so it would simmer until this afternoon and went about my chores.  I have no plans to go out today.  The only exciting thing I have planned is an escape into a new book.  I finished the one I was reading last night and am starting the next book in the series today.  My to do list is rather boring.  Let me show you...

Mindy's To Do List
1. Take care of the kids as you do every day
    breakfast, lunch, plan/suggest activities for them/help them write letter to Great-Nana
2. Laundry
3. Laundry
4. More Laundry
5. Blog
6. Switch Laundry
7. Read (Taking a break! Yes!)
8. Laundry again!

So you see, I have a little bit of laundry to catch up on.  For some reason, we have a lot of blankets.  When those blankets need to be washed, they get pushed aside in favor of washing every day clothing items... and they pile up.  I really don't mind doing laundry.  In fact, I kind of like it.  Except for hauling the large and sometimes heavy baskets of clean laundry (remember pixie sized female here) from the lower level laundry room to the upstairs bedrooms.  Thankfully, my husband is very fond of me and doesn't like to see me break my back carrying the loads, so he tackles that task whenever he is home.  Never the less, I still enjoy tackling the laundry.  Why you ask?  Well, I often get caught up in the quiet time it allows me.  I pop on my headphones and listen to a good audio book or sing and dance to some great tunes on my ipod.  I find that my imagination often runs wild as well.  Getting lost in the places my mind takes me can be great for my creativity.  While taking clothes out of the dryer this morning, I did just that. 

Late this morning, I was so focused on the warm laundry in my hands and the details that my mind was working on that I never heard someone approach me from behind.  It was completely quiet downstairs and I knew my boys were watching Shrek 3 while playing upstairs.  I was in my little world.  I had just pulled a shirt out of the dryer and was fixing a fold that shouldn't be there, when I felt a light drum like tapping of fingers just above my shoulder blades!  Fear shot through me, my heart was acting as if it was at a gymnastics meet, and I was terrified for a brief second before I jerked around to see what I assumed was a stealthily quiet intruder... or a really scary vampire or monster or alien!  You see how my imagination was really running wild at this moment.  When I turned, I saw my oldest son starring at me with a giggle in his eyes and a chuckle from his mouth.  I can only imagine the look on my face that he saw in that moment.  I began to breathe again and spit out, "don't ever do that to me again!  Don't ever sneak up on my like that again!  You scared the heck out of me!"  My face must have still held a frightened expression and combined with that and  my words, my son began to cry.

I felt horrible.  He certainly wasn't trying to be naughty.  I didn't know what to say, except explain more calmly that he scared me and I was sorry if I had scared him as well.  That seemed to make him feel a little better, but also telling him I wasn't mad was important and he started to relax a little more.  By the time I laughed and said, "you got me good!"  He had a small grin back on his face to go along with the solo tear traveling down his cheek.  Then we decided it would be a good idea if he hung out with me while I finished that round of laundry. 

My boring session of laundry was boring no more and my blog topic had an instant makeover.  Thanks to my very stealthily quiet son O!

If you have kids, have they ever "got you good" or pulled a really good prank on you?  Have you pulled off a good prank yourself?