I'd rather have a root canal.....

The tension in my body began weeks before. I didn't know for sure why I was so tense. But as the weekend grew closer, I suspected it was the impending hotel stay.

Last weekend Jim took on a huge home improvement project. It seems like we will be living here for a while. So in an effort to make the most of what we have, he ripped up the carpet in the living room, painted the walls, and installed Pergo laminate flooring. He had the help of two very good friends, Dennis and Glen. Truly if we have another boy, he will have to be called Dennis Glen Barrett. No, I'm not pregnant.

There was no way to avoid it, we had to move out for a couple of days. Thankfully Jim's Mom (Lynn) and her husband (Frank) were visiting and staying in the same hotel. They were a huge help getting the kids in and out and fed. Still, it was exhausting, and for the most part when we were in the hotel room, it was just me and the kids. I was definitely outnumbered.

Kids will play with anything. Put them in a hotel room and they will find a way to amuse themselves. It will probably be dangerous, usually destructive, and most definitely annoying. And with four siblings, you also have the mob mentality.

Running, Running, Running. Why walk when you can run? Bed are for jumping, and launching off of onto other furniture. Glasses are pretty, and much more fun to drop than sippy cups. They make a cool shattering sound and get everyone's attention.

Faith's M.O. for the weekend was to press the speaker phone button on the telephone, causing a very loud dial tone to accompany her while she ran to the bathroom to flush the toilet. Back and forth. She never tired of it.

I'm not sure why, but the room had a chair ottoman with wheels. It was the Marriott amusement park, with toddlers falling off left and right and the ottoman crashing into walls.

The first night was the worst. Jim didn't arrive until 11:00 p.m. with the DVD player, so I had been without the soothing tool of children's television all evening. The hotel graciously provided three portable cribs, which the triplets refused to sleep in, although they enjoyed flipping in and out of them. I tried being tough, putting them in and insisting they go to sleep. They screamed for 20 minutes (can you believe no other guests complained?) and then Faith began to act like she was going to throw up. I quickly got Faith out, then the other two to be fair. We had two full-size beds. Lili and Jim slept in one, I slept in the other with Joseph, Eve, and Faith. Well, sleep is not really an accurate term since I spent the night trying unsuccessfully to keep them from falling onto the floor.

In the morning I BEGGED Jim to let us come home. He insisted we couldn't even get to the beds at home because all the furniture and toys had to be up there while he worked.

The second night was much better. I bought two new DVD's which were a big hit (CinderElmo and Baby Einstein "Meet the Orchestra"). I also took the cribs down and pulled a mattress onto the floor. They rolled off again, but didn't even wake up.

By 9:30 p.m. on Sunday evening we were finally able to bring everyone home. It was still difficult to get to the beds, but the living room looks gorgeous. He did a great job. (pictures coming soon!)

Was it worth it? Okay, yes. It was worth it. However, I would honestly rather have a root canal than stay in a hotel with my kids by myself.