Mama Needs a Sundae, Sunday

It started with a fabulous service at church... the kind where you leave walking to your car a little more challenged than so. Love it.

Stink did not love what came up next... a challenge of his own. I asked him to clean up the living room and put the games away. The lack of enthusiasm was presently overwhelming, and so much that we weren't paying attention to what we were doing. Very bad things can happen in this haze. I hear a lingering trickle of clinking on the wood floor that came to a slow halt with pure silence at the end. Stink just stood there in this silence, looking at his mess. The mess of the contents in the 500 melty bead bucket now scattered about the room. I look at him standing there right in the middle, just staring at what happened. We have all been there and I could totally read the look on his face.

~Did this really just happen?
~If I close my eyes will it disappear?
~Can I hit the "undo" button?

Then what he secretly dreads came out of my mouth... "Well, clean it up." Thoughts on the face were read and continued.

~Crap... this really sucks.
~Where the heck do I begin?
~I'm still standing here back at first thought and I can't move... did this really just happen?

So my sergeant threw a colossal fit and complained that mosquitoes were attacking him. I didn't buy it. Instead, gave him a tip and equipment that would help clean up the mess quicker. He scrunched his eyebrows and didn't want to hear it. Then when he realized he wasn't in the jungle being eaten alive, he took the tip and amazingly the mess got cleaned up quicker than the length of that stretched episode.

Then we were off... to cut Benny's cotton. His cotton is his hair. His hair that is white as snow and soft as silk. He wants long hair and was growing it out- but deciding not to take care of it in the process. I couldn't see his eyes clearly, he had this Bieber-twitch flicking it away from his baby blues. That was the start. Then comes the disturbing silhouette I spotted one morning at breakfast before school... I had to confront.

Mom: Benny, you have a sleep-nest on the back of your head still, go comb it out please.

Benny: No mom, I did already. It's okay, when I play at morning recess I get sweaty and do this (rubs his hand to pat down the tangled mess). Then it's gone!

I took him to the bathroom where I felt the coarseness of his now non-silky hair as I de-nested with a comb. This is where I found out we weren't using the conditioner as mom prescribed for growing out the hair. Mom made some home modifications with her scissors, caused tears, and we still didn't take care of our hair over the next couple days. So off to the barber shop we go this Sunday after the melty bead melt-down. I prepared him for this day. I gave him the weekend to enjoy his mess but we were getting a cut before pictures on Monday, final say.
I detected the disappointment on his face as we talked to the hair-dresser about the plans. She did a very nice job- I could see those gorgeous eyes again. He looked straight forward at the end and not at mom (see the picture above full of attitude). My Ben-Ten was mad at me. It took multiple praises and a picture to convince him that he is still oh-so-dang-handsome. So if we want to grow our hair out we now know that:

A) We need to condition it. Daily.
B) Comb it.
C) Do not develop or disclose gross boy habits that frighten mom. :)
D) Keep it out of your eyes, mom really loves them, LOTS.

I couldn't tell if the day's events were exaggerated from our late night sleepover with friends or what. But at the end of the day my boys were happy, still told me I was a great mom, and our snuggles were as heartfelt as always. Remember... I love you two pickles. So very much.

We sure did sleep well...