A “sleepover” in my bed, with the kids, that was my first mistake! It sounded like a good idea at the time; Friday night, hubby is out of town, snuggle time with my kids, a treat for them, and a much deserved early bedtime for me!
Apparently children learn from a very young age that sleepovers are all about talking & giggling & talking some more. It was cute for the first three minutes. Then I made my second mistake. “Whoever is the quietest the longest and falls asleep first gets a prize”. Certainly one little lollipop for breakfast won’t kill them. All was quiet until I hear “Mom, Ian…what will the surprise be”? “Is tonight a school night”? “I need a drink”. “I’m hungry”. It’s obvious at this point that both children have lost the game and clearly Mama should win the prize. Certainly one little shot of Bailey’s in my coffee won’t kill me.
At 1:30a.m. I awake drenched in sweat. Gross I know but the truth must be told. Apparently at the time of proposed sleepover a queen size bed seemed large enough to hold a mother who is not exactly the same size she was when bed was purchased, a five year old, a three year old, and a 15 year old cat. I get comfortable once more and I hear this awful “grrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaattttttttttttttttttttteeeeeeeeeeee” that which can only be described as rubbing a rock on a cheese grater. What the…when your husband is out of town your mind goes to places in the middle of the night that no one in their right mind would admit. Lucky for me I am not the sort in the right mind and can admit such things. I imagined we were under attack by alien rock graters. Turns out my alien was a 3 year old boy who grinds his teeth in his sleep. Okay get comfy once more, “ggrrrrraaaattttteeee”. Oh Boy! I actually found myself squeezing his cheeks, gently mind you not like Aunt Hilda used to do after she hadn’t seen you in a year. I gave up, I rolled over, I dreamed happy thoughts (two shots of Bailey’s), and finally fell asleep as my alien kept grating rocks!
“Mmmmmmmmmoooooooooooooommmmmmmm” I need a tissue…HURRY! Where am I, I just fell asleep, what is going on, now what? I glance at the clock (3:30) as I fall out of bed to run to get a tissue…a wad of toilet paper because I am one of those slacker moms who doesn’t keep tissues on every stand in arms reach. I race back, five year old is upset and still in need of the tissue. “Mom, what is it…ewwww”. Tempted to say “It’s just the rock grating alien invading your body” but knowing it would scare the heck right out of her I opted for the truth. “It’s just a bloody nose honey, lie back on your pillow and hold this” her 3rd wad of toilet paper. “Mom, remember you said we get a prize in the morning” How could I forget. I glance at the clock again I can’t help but think that it’s 3:30 in the morning and I don’t see how this is possible as it was just 1:30 and surely time has been altered while we were fighting the heat & the aliens.
And then it was 6:30. The sleep was over. The alien was awake asking me to get up with him and when would it be light out. We stumble downstairs and I pour the coffee with a smile knowing it’s going to be a great day because Mama has now earned 3 shots of Bailey’s for her coffee!
The sleepover may not have been my best idea to date but I don’t regret it one minute. Because for 10 hours, while they were 10 interrupted hours I had my babies close to me and I know that the next 10 years are going to fly by as quickly as those 10 hours did and I know they’ll be asking for real, unsupervised, sleepovers with their friends, not with their Mommy.
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