Now why didn’t that turn my head more when I heard it come from the mouth of my five year old in the middle of June?

Hmmm.

Maybe it was because I was nursing the baby and not really thinking clearly. Maybe it because I was basking in the glow of our new Nutrimill Grain miller thingy. Maybe I was just tired. Whatever the reason, I paid for it.

Let me back up a second and perhaps I could lay the blame of the most catastrophic mess I’ve ever had the misfortune of cleaning up on someone else other than myself.

A few weeks ago some friends of ours started talking about how they were starting the mill their own flour. “What? That’s crazy! We don’t live in Walnut Grove. I am NOT Caroline Ingalls.” My friend said it really didn’t take that much more time than normal and it’s way healthier. Her husband lent a CD to Joey who recommended I listen to it. I was hooked. So, maybe I can blame my friend or her husband…

But a few days before we listened, I knew the speaker on the CD was Sue Becker from BreadBeckers, Inc. Coincidentally, she was speaking at the HEAV Homeschool Convention we attended earlier that this month. We didn’t get to hear her because of some other sessions we chose to attend, so we purchased the MP3’s. So, maybe it’s Sue Becker’s fault. Or perhaps the fellows at the MP3 table who recorded the sessions. Maybe I can blame them.

We listen to the MP3’s on healthy eating and Sue Becker’s CD on milling your own grain and decide that we really want to live a healthier lifestyle. There is no doubt about the benefits of whole grain (I mean they put it on every cereal box, every granola bar box, and any other place a retailer could print it, right?!?!) We broke down. We ordered the mill. Then UPS brought it. So maybe it’s the UPS guy’s fault.

So what am I talking about? Here’s a picture for you to gain some clarity.

The mill arrived in a glorious brown cardboard box just ripe and ready to be opened. Joey and I were excited, the kids were excited, the UPS guy was excited to not have to hold it anymore. Joey brings the box in and opens it. Maybe it’s Joey’s fault.

While my husband trudges back upstairs to work (to pay for the said mill that was just glowing on our table!!) I feed the baby and let the other two wreak havoc, apparently. See, here I was trying to be a good mom and encourage creativity.

I thought, “Yes! Let them play in the box together. This is good! This is what brothers and sisters should do! Use your imaginations children and soar!!”

Really. How hard could some styrofoam pieces be to clean up? Then I heard it. I heard the breaking of the styrofoam. I’m still feeding the baby, reading the instruction manual to my new appliance (woo-hoo!), and not *really* listening to the chaos in the kitchen.

My zeal for creativity left Joey and I cranky and grumbling with each other. I tried to sweep it up. That was like using honey to clean up pancake batter. I tried to vacuum them up. That was like using an eyedropper to clean up Hurricane Katrina.

And this picture does not do justice to the infinite number of styrofoam peanuts that were on my kitchen floor. And living room floor. And playroom floor. And because these suckers are static city…my walls, chairs, table legs, and every nook and crevice on the first floor of my house. Just look at the bottom of Matthew’s shoes.

I was so mad. I wanted to blame the children for playing. (That’s just dumb, huh?) I wanted to blame Joey for opening the box. (That doesn’t make sense either.) It wasn’t Sue Becker’s fault, my friend’s fault, or even the fault of the UPS guy. It was so mine. lol. But, at least the kids had fun.

I asked Maddie, “Did you like playing in the styrofoam peanuts?”
Maddie said, “Oh yeah! That was great! When can we do it again?”
I replied, “Never. Enjoy this while you can.”

But you know, I am still finding pieces in random spots, even after we’ve cleaned up. Instead of freaking out about it, I think I’ll go get some honey and some freshly milled whole wheat bread and be thankful my kids did get creative.