Some Quality Gardening Time With My Daughter...

...is NOT how it turned out. Well, it was my own fault, really, since I had been in a state of sleep-deprived crabbiness all day. For whatever reason, I decided it was time to plant some impatiens in the flower box on Elianna's playhouse. Selah was whimpering less loudly than she had been (she still is not feeling so hot and had a rough night last night) so I had taken Elianna outside for some fresh air. Again, this was not wise. I am also fighting a cold now, so my patience reserve is not only dangerously low, I think it's all dried out and there are cobwebs strewn around. But, the impatiens were getting a bit shriveled waiting to be planted, so I figured, "How hard can it be???" I told Elianna, "Let's go plant some flowers!" and her little face just lit up. See, so far so good. So, I walked over to the playhouse and tried to take down the flower box. I wiggled and tugged and yanked and the darn thing wouldn't move. It just slides on, so what's the problem?! I climb up the ladder to inspect it from inside the playhouse, and there are two shiny new wood screws gleaming at me. I set the flowers down and threaten Elianna about ten times, "DO NOT touch the flowers. Wait for Mommy." Blah, blah blah. I dig around in the garage till I find the drill, and then I can't get the bit out. I pull, I twist, I beat the drill against a tree... it's not coming out. So I call Chad. "Why on earth did you screw the flower box to the wall?!?!" are the first words he hears. "Um, that's what the directions said to do." That's the best answer he can come up with, and I don't have the energy to argue. Although, I do manage to point out that it would make more sense to screw it in AFTER the flowers are planted... but I digress. I asked him how to change the bit, and explain all the things I've done to get it out. Silence. After a pause, he tells me, "The bit that's in there is the one you want." I guess I should have checked that, but I don't answer. The whine of the drill is all he hears to let him know I am unscrewing the flower box. With the bit that was already in there. We get off the phone before we get into an argument over something as dumb as a flower box. I set the phone down and discover Elianna has decided to take matters into her own hands. She didn't just touch the flowers, she pulled them out and was in the process of tearing the root balls into pieces. I started ranting and raving and lecturing her on the proper care of plants and the life expectancy of disobedient children, but none of it interested her. So, I cut it short, and we climbed down to find some potting soil. I looked everywhere, lost patience, grabbed a shovel, and dug a hole in the yard. Hey, it's dirt. It works. Elianna was especially delighted by this development, and also began digging. We put some dirt into the box, put in the mangled remains of the flowers, and gently patted dirt around them. I felt more like giving a eulogy than celebrating our accomplishment... they looked pathetic. Anyhoo, time to water them. I grabbed Elianna's Dora watering can, and ran into the house to get some water. I came out to discover that in the 30 seconds I was gone, Elianna had dug the flowers back out. We replanted the even more mangled remains, and I hung the flower box back on the playhouse. Elianna climbed up, and I reached up to hand her the watering can. Well, she's taking her sweet time getting it, and the whole time water is spilling out and running up my arm and all over me. "Just take the can so I can get a picture!!" I said in a sweet, motherly voice. (Something like that.) She grabs it and tips it upside down, emptying the contents in about... 4 seconds. Now, it takes 6 seconds for my camera to turn on and focus, so I snatch the can away and run back in the house. I come out to find her digging merrily in the muddy flower box, splashing mud all over herself, the playhouse, and anything else within three feet. I hand her the watering can, and tell her to water s-l-o-w-l-y so I can get a picture. She dumps it all out again in about... 4 seconds. So, I tell her to pretend to water the flowers with the now-empty watering can, and I get a couple pictures that way. She then gets bored and runs off to play something else, while I have to hose down and wipe off all the mud tracked all over her playhouse. I give these poor flowers no more than a week or two to live, since I am sure she will try to dig them up or pick them the first chance she gets.

Oh well, it wasn't the beautiful bonding experience I had envisioned, but it got done, and Elianna had fun anyway!!!! Here are some pictures of the whole fun episode.

Playing with the flowers... even though Mommy said "No!"




Elianna's method of planting - also known as rip & dump


Digging our own potting soil


Putting the remains of the plants to rest




Pretending to water...