Poop....and more reasons why working from home STINKS!

Whenever I tell someone I work from home the response is almost always "Oh. That's so wonderful you are able to do that."

In theory, yes, it is. I'm so grateful that I have been able to stay home with the kids and be with them all the time. I also feel lucky that I have found work that I can do almost entirely from home, and it's something I enjoy doing....something I have wanted to do since I was probably in first grade.

Working from home; however, is not always as fantastic as one might think. I'll be honest. Some days it's darn right hellish chaos.

I really try to limit my working to mornings while Johnny is at preschool or afternoons while he's napping. With deadlines and phone calls this is not always possible. Sometimes I have to finish writing a story while the kids are playing or watching a movie. Other times, I have to sneak away to make a quick phone call.

This is when working from home gets dicey. There are two kids. One puppy. And absolute unpredictability. I have had embarrassing "work-from-home" moments before. There was the time I was on the phone and Julie was hysterically crying because Johnny smeared a boogie on her bed. Another time Julie was upset because Johnny had "poopie on his finger." And yet another time I left 3-year-old Julie alone for 15 minutes and in that time she had colored herself and her bedroom purple.

But, I'm not sure I can top what happened Monday afternoon.

It was about 4:30 p.m. Julie had recently gotten home from school. Johnny was up from his nap, and they were both creating Rainbow Loom bracelets. Our puppy Chico was relaxing in his doggy bed, chewing contentedly on a bone.

I told the kids I had to make a phone call and to please play nicely. Usually, I will turn on a movie to occupy the kids if I expect the phone call to take a long time. But, this was a very quick phone call to verify some facts. I went to my room, closed the door, and was on the phone for about three minutes when the banging started.

Johnny was knocking furiously at my door. "Mommy!! Chico pooped!!!" he shouted.

I hid in the closet, hoping he would stop. I tried to finish the conversation.

"Mommy!! Did you hear me??? Chico pooped. It's gross!"

I was so tempted to "accidentally" hang up the phone. Somehow I politely finished the conversation without letting on that I was completely mortified.

Then, I went to clean up poop.