Insert foot in mouth

I am loving this warm weather! Finally, the kids can go outside and play for hours. Well, some challenges come along with this, however.

First, I have to become the yard nazi. I need to work on teaching the kids to pick up their toys, strollers, balls, etc after they're done playing. I want our toys, equipment to stay in nice condition and they won't if they're stuck in the sun and rain.

Secondly, I have to remind the kids that they can't play in the front yard. Being as we currently live in the basement of a house, I can't see them when they're in front. But they are allowed over to one of our awesome next door neighbors who have a trampoline. They have permission from both me and the neighbor to jump on it without needing to ask first.

But today I went outside to check on them and they were not in the backyard. They were not on the trampoline. I wandered around to the front and they were nowhere to be seen. Luckily, the Bishop and the young men were rota-tilling yards for a project so I felt a little safer knowing there were people, ie witnesses around. I asked the Bishop and he hadn't seen them in a while. So I called our neighbors (Mother Beaver, as my kids call them) on the other side. Phew! They were over there. I did not put them in time-out because it was a safe place to go and they are always welcome over there. However, there was a visitor at this neighbors house, who happens to live behind us which leads me to the last disadvantage of playing outside.

Lastly, we get to gather all the stray balls and toys that land in our neighbors yards. Luckily, I know most of them. However, the one behind us has a reputation. Perhaps, it is just gossip, but I had heard from another neighbor that this lady is a bit finicky. A bit particular about her space, shall I say. So when Samuel accidentally threw his boomerang into her yard I was torn. I didn't want to lower him over the tall fence for fear of tearing his pants, or worse, his skin. And how would he get back over? Plus, what if she saw us doing this gymnastic feat? How would she react? Then, I didn't want to go over and just knock on her door and ask if we could go and find it because I am a lazy wuss. I thought about just going through her front yard into her back and getting it myself but then I feared she would see me and call me on it too. So instead, I did the wrong thing, and told my kids that she was "mean" and that she wouldn't want us to go over and get it. I told them she (gulp, eek) was like "the beast" in the Sandlot, their new favorite movie. Now, I've never met this lady before. I've only gazed into her huge window and seen her living room. She only lives in the house 6 months out of the year anyhow and we've never been formally introduced. I was only judging her character from hearsay, ie, gossip.

Well, after I called the neighbors to send the kids home they came running out saying, "she's not bad! She's inside right now, and she's not bad! You lied to us!" Oh, crap. The lady was visiting next door at the same time as my kids and they made the connection. I was mortified when she actually came out the door! Oh, no! I don't know if the kids told her I told them that she was a bad lady. I honestly hope not. And if they did, I won't ever know. Luckily, we are moving in a few weeks....Samuel, of course, told her that he wanted her boomerang back and she obligingly offered to hand it over the fence. And that anytime the occurrence was repeated to just wave my arms and she'd most likely see me through the big window and she'd help us out. I couldn't tell if she really was a grumpy lady or my kids had told her the truth.....I've got to be more careful what I say with listening ears around!

Moral of the story? Don't be a wuss? Or don't always judge according to ward gossip and find out for yourself the truth. And don't lie to your kids because it may come back to haunt you.

My posts get rather lengthy and I do apologize. Melissa, how do you keep yours so witty and short?