Coconspirators Indicted!

I guess everyone has days like this, but…..It was a dark and stormy night. Rising at 5am I had already gotten a jump on the day – I was showered, dressed and had read a few e-mails. By 7am the dawn had failed to break through the dense clouds and drizzle. Then the whine of little voices could be heard on the monitor – "mama, Mama, MAMA." We had company coming early, so I hustled them downstairs, got them stated on breakfast and whipped into the living room to vacuum. About 15 minutes later, I return to the kitchen to find that in my absence they had;
1. Gotten a new box of cereal off the counter and filled their bowls – and the table and floor.
2. Got the milk out of the fridge and topped off their bowls, and the table.
3. Tried to clean up the mess using a whole roll of paper towels. The dog cleaned up the cereal and milk on the floor.
4. Spotted a bag of Goldfish crackers on the counter, gotten it down, gotten out new bowls (we go through about 20 a day since our finicky little darlings can only use a clean bowl) and spoons and retreated to the powder room to consume. I think Lian was the dupe, since she was sitting happily on the potty stool when I found them, but Lela clearly knew she was in for it, as she had crammed herself behind the toilet to snarf down her ill gotten gains.
I wasn’t amused at the time, but am now pretty amazed at their ingenuity. But I now had 30 minutes to get them cleaned up and dressed, and re-clean the kitchen before Lian’s speech therapist showed up.
However, that was not all for the day. We had an action packed schedule – after the therapist, I stuffed them into raincoats and then into car seats and it was off to the races. Lian’s story time at 10:30, playing group at the church nursery at 11:30 (with lunch), home for nap. Latter on, when I thought I had them safely settled with snacks in front of a PBS Kids show, and was upstairs for few minutes getting a load of laundry, they again swung into action. Coming downstairs to an empty living room and then kitchen I experienced brief panic. Not in the powder room or coat closet. Not in the utility room - wait - that’s a foot sticking out from behind the hot water heater. And there they were, wedged behind the heater and furnace. Covered in the remnants of chocolate meringue cookies. Standing on what had been the dryer vent hose, now flattened. So much for clean clothes. Did you know that chocolate meringue + saliva = stains that require 5 go rounds in the washer to eradicate? I bet not.
The next day we had the cereal caper, with an entire (new) bag of cereal strewn across the living room. When grilled, Lela ratted out little sis Lian and I had to agree. The modus operandi was her highchair pushed up against the counter for access. Lela prefers to stand on cane-seated chairs, the better to poke holes with her sharp little tootsies. At least they are now acting like sisters. Somehow I had managed to forget the criminal conspiracy aspect of sisterhood, but thinking back…..
Maybe straight jackets are called for, but since I don’t think they make them in 18M and 3T, I’ll just order on for myself.