A day in the life of a house full of monkeys

Here’s how today went.

8am Wake up. Kids are full of energy - I wish I was! I change diapers. We eat cereal.

Zoe spills hers on the floor. Turtle does a great job with his spoon.
I decide to do a more laid back version of school today without workbooks.
We play drama/imagination/mime games. We play “Frisbee” (actually with yogurt pot lids, but the principal is the same) and lay out pillowcases on the floor for a jumping lily pads game. We pretend to be farmers and farm animals and romp around the floor. We play ball games and follow my leader and charades. We make up and solve riddles.

All the while, I try to get Zoe to join in and she does momentarily, before deciding that pushing her little brother to the ground is much more fun. She also throws the bunny’s oats all over the floor.

I change a poopy diaper.

It comes time to eat lunch and clean up. I make tortilla jam rolls for the kids (I know, so not nutritious but we’re overdue a grocery trip and I had to make do).
I try to start a load of dishes while Turtle plays with pots and pans. Then I notice he has spread jam all over clean pots and pans.

I have sat Zoe down with a pen and paper so I can try these dishes. But she chooses to draw over her tummy and the wall instead.

I forget the dishes and go downstairs to do a load of laundry. I take Zoe with me and try to close the stair gate on Turtle, but he beats me and starts making his way down the stairs, so I pick him up and take him with. Zoe starts getting into stuff and “unhelping” while I do some laundry as quickly as possible. She steps on a dead cricket and freaks out.

She’s freaking about her foot and won’t walk, so I carry her, some clean couch covers (which I had to wash because the day previous Zoe poured a cup of raw milk over them, which really stinks) and some freshly washed and dried towels, and Turtle upstairs.

I take her into the bathroom to wash her foot. Meanwhile Turtle starts scooping up toilet water and putting it in his mouth. Nasty.

I come upstairs to see that Lana has pulled all the clean sheets, covers and towels out of the linen closet to make a beaver’s dam. I pick them up while Zoe attacks Turtle again.

I need to put the cushion covers on so I bring up a baby doll and a costume and ask Zoe to put it on. “No you put in on, mummy”. I spend a couple minutes playing with this doll at her request then I give a toy to Turtle and try to put the cushions on. Zoe throws the doll on the ground and starts trying to escape out the front door (oh how life has become more difficult since she learned how to open doors).

I fill a tub with soapy water for Zoe to bath her doll. She likes it.



Turtle decides he could do with a bath too and climbs in.



Disposable diaper and all. I take off his diaper and let him have at it.

I give her a new bath for her baby.



Turtle tips it over.



Lana grabs my freshly washed and dried towels to mop it up with. All of them. Oh well, at least it’s helping me get the floor clean.

Kaya asks what I’m cooking for lunch. I tell her the tortillas were all for today and she starts crying at me with disappointment.

Turtle has a bit of a tantrum and I can tell he’s tired. He’s also sopping wet and cold and has a naked bum. I warm him and dress him and try to nurse him to sleep. He bites me on both sides. I cry, he cries for about 5 minutes. Eventually he calms down enough to let me nurse him to sleep, without biting me. (I don’t like this teething stage!)He naps while the girls put on a tv show on Netflix to watch.
Zoe falls asleep on the bed, naked, cuddling her baby doll. She looks angelic and I feel all squishy inside.



I get to pee! Yay! I get couch cushions finally put on (which really hurts my carpal tunnel syndrome) and dishes done.

I decide to clean out the bunnies cages while I get the chance. I put baby and mommy bunnies in the third bedroom while I start to clean it. Kaya and Lana start playing a game in my room, very loudly and wake up the sleeping beauties. They wake up grumpy. I yell at Kaya and Lana (oops).

I put one baby and the mommy back in their cage. I chase the other one around the room for about 10 minutes. He is very wild. I finally catch him and just before I place him back in his cage he leaps out of my hand and runs through the house. Kaya and I spend the next HOUR sweating and trying to catch the poor scared wild baby. I eventually catch him and take him back to the room and find that Zoe has opened the bunny cage and let mommy and baby out! We take another 15 minutes to catch them (this is the much calmer baby) and put them back in.

I sweep up the rest of the mess while Turtle pulls the tray out of the cage and scatters the poop catcher papers all over the room. I figure out how to turn the cage against the wall so he can’t do it anymore. I get hay stuck in my foot and it hurts. I pull it out with tweezers but it is a bit inflamed.

I sit down to have a 5 minute break and a soda. Oh yeah baby. Except I have to get Zoe a cup of milk first. I sit down again and almost open the soda but Zoe has finished her milk and wants more. I get more then sit down again. This time. Zoe pours her milk over Turtle. Oh well, he doesn’t seem to mind, I’m sure it can wait 5 minutes!

5 minutes turns into 1.5 minutes because Lana pushes Zoe who was attacking her at the computer. So I confiscate the computer and deal with a melt down from Lana.
Diaper changes.

Sweep and mop the floor. Have Zoe help with mopping (with towels) which she finds fun for a little while. Then gives up on it. I give Zoe and Turtle a bouncy ball to play with while I finish mopping.

Kaya wants toast. I make toast and the kids throw crumbs and crusts all over the place. Kaya spills milk. (no use crying). I get another load of dishes done while Turtle unhelps me.

I start trying to clean surfaces, Zoe pees on the floor.

Rene comes home. I beg him for a shower. He takes one whiff then sends me on my way without objection. I enjoy my shower.

I start cooking. Some friends come over. Our kids join forces to trash the place. Oh well, at least it was semi-clean for them arriving. I have fun chatting with my friend and it’s refreshing to my spirit.

Kaya falls asleep on the couch. Zoe falls asleep on my bed. Turtle is so cute and makes Lana and I laugh, then he crashes on my bed. I read the Bible to Lana and then her Daddy puts her to bed. 11pm.

The house looks like a tornado ran through it. My carpal tunnel in my wrists hurts. I am tired. And I am satisfied. And I wouldn’t trade any of this in for forty million dollars. 50 mil and you might get my attention. ;-)

Today was quite an easy day compared to many. You don’t even want to ask me about yesterday. This is life in my zoo and I’m loving it. I have the best kids in the world. They are highly spirited little Tasmanian Devils, and they enrich my life so. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m so blessed.

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