I'm just another working mom seeking a few moments of Zen and zinfandel between soccer practice and supper. My former beach bartender husband founded 
I came up with a new afternoon tactic because since Super Bowl Sunday the girls have been completely wired for sound at night.
My tactic is called Operation WTAO (Wear Their Asses Out.)
This is all in an attempt to get them to sleep by a decent hour of, say, 8:30. We start the bedtime routine at 8 and lately Miss A, the night owl, is still awake after 9. She’s 2 years old. What the heck is she staying up late for?
Any way, back to Operation WTAO.
When I picked up Miss A from daycare yesterday I decided I would take both girls to the park since it was unusually warm in Nashville. But then some random sprinkles ruined my plans and I took them to the mall indoor play area. When I heard that Miss A’s class had spent two hours on the playground I knew she would be worn out.
Mwaa haa haa haa. Operation WTAO was in full swing.
Then last night the weather here in Tennessee was absolutely horrific and we were glued to the TV. Or at least I was. Tornado warnings were out for our county and pretty much every surrounding county. Thirty plus homes in a neighboring county (Williamson) were completely destroyed. At one point, sometime between 9 and 10, the tornadic activity was shown coming toward our part of town and the hubby told me to grab the girls and get in the bathtub as the winds were really picking up and he actually heard a tree go down, but not in our yard, thankfully. The girls finally went to sleep around 10. I think I fell asleep around 11 and then shortly after midnight a Public Works truck was just literally a couple of houses up the road and workers were using chainsaws to clear a tree that was down. There wasn’t anything significant at all in our area, though, so it was just a bad thunderstorm for us.
Miss C was really frightened last night, especially when we got in the tub. I told her we were just having a tornado drill and everything was OK. Miss A? Was not scared at all. I started to sing as we sat in the bathtub for a few minutes underneath the heavy foam mattress pad the hubby had put over us. Miss A told me to stop singing “that song.”
“What song do you want mommy to sing?” I asked her as I held her in my lap with my left arm and pulled Miss C closer to me with my right arm.
“The twister song!” she says in a sing-song voice and flashing me the biggest grin you’ve ever seen.
I swear Miss A is going to be a cowgirl, a storm chaser, or a race car driver when she grows up.
p.s. Thank you to Charla (Southern Mom) for checking on us via e-mail this morning. She had a lot of damage where she lives.
Okay, that’s cute and all…but…dang it’s windy here in Jersey, today and storms like that give me the creeps, too!
Don’t think I’d be able to sleep, either.
Liz’s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday: 30 Tiny Moments – Day 1
Oh my gosh, I am so glad you guys are okay. I HATE storms, and I think I would freak out if we had tornado watch.
Kolleen’s last blog post..Baby Fever
scary stuff. Glad you are OK.
mayberry’s last blog post..No longer cheering
It’s always scary when the weather maps show tornadic activity near your house and they start mentioning roads right by you!
We have never actually climbed in the tub before during a warning.
Oh wow! Sorry you were close to the storm. We’re in Brentw’d and it was clearly heading north and east of us so we went to bed.
I was amazed at the damage reports this morning. We only got heave rain and a little thunder.
Glad you’re all OK!
Amy’s last blog post..Just Don’t Barf On The Suede
Oh how scary – I’m glad that everyone’s ok!
I don’t know what it is either, but my 2-year-old has been up late every night so far this week… Sigh.
Deb – Mom of 3 Girls’s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday #30 – Hard at work
Ugh, Tornado alley. Glad you are all ok.
Bridgett’s last blog post..My Good Shepherd Ear is Tuning In
Oh how scary. I am so glad to hear you and your family are okay.
Mrs. Schmitty’s last blog post..Go Ahead – Ask Me, I Dare You!
Oh, how scary! It sounds like you handled it much better than I would have…good for you. I’m glad you’re okay.
mamatulip’s last blog post..Gimmie a title?or two?
Glad you guys are o.k. I think I would have freaked out if my husband told me to get in the tub and then proceeded to cover us with a mattress!
Beth_C’s last blog post..100 Things About Me…Part 4…Praise the Lord It’s Over!
Glad you are safe!
We’re taking the whole fam damily ice skating Sunday for Emersyn’s birthday. It is total WTAO activity if ever there was one. Come on over!!
Sunshine’s last blog post..Another Day, Another Golden Nugget With Zach
Glad ya’ll are okay. I was thinking of you when I heard about the storms in Tennessee
So glad you’re ok! My daughter and I spent the night in the basement (thank heavens we have one—the tub isn’t nearly as comfortable as our futon).
Bluegrass Mama’s last blog post..Mardi Gras
Wow, I’m glad you all are ok. I wish you had a basement though, when I grew up in VA we had a couple warnings that resulted in a few late nights in our basement.
Yeah I know all about WTAO, I practice it with my 2 year old all the time. He’s decided to stop taking naps which is fine with me because then he falls asleep by 9 pm.
killlashandra’s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday – Snowberries
Bluegrass Mama:
I am really thinking our next house needs a basement!
We all got up out of our beds at the ripe ole hour of TWO AM because the sirens were going off here in Franklin. We headed to the basement, where I also got yelled at for singing (by my 4 year old son), but my 2 year old daughter was all smiles the whole time.
Luckily, nothing touched down here, though!
Mari Ickes’s last blog post..I’m Watching Sex and the City
I’m so glad y’all are okay! Thanks for the giggles and the momentary heart stoppage!!
Y’all take care and what a wonderful memory for later.
Rachel’s last blog post..Wordless Wednesdays
I’m really glad you are all ok.
I used to have nightmares as a kid about tornado’s. My science teacher assured me that we would never have a tornado in the Salt Lake Valley because it was surrounded by a ring of mountains, but one came ripping through downtown a few years ago.
Luckily it was small, but it did some hefty structural damage.
:S
Loralee’s last blog post..Sideblog:Cache Valley Bloggity Lunch
WTAO is the only parenting skill that consistently works around here.
HRH’s last blog post..Book drive…
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