Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Trouble makers



 Some of you might remember the infamous water table I mentioned once upon a time.  Well, I've tried a different angle on it recently. We fill it with rice, bring out all the sand toys and the kids have a blast. I usually put a blanket under it to catch most of the rice that falls out so I can just dump it back in again.

Well, the other day we had a friend over and the kids went a little crazier than usual. I usually sit out with them so I can monitor/control the situation a little more, but this time I sat just inside the sliding door so I could keep talking to my friend. So how lame/funny is this?  The next day we hear that our neighbors downstairs complained to management about having rice on their balcony.  At first I was irritated, and like, seriously? You went to management to tattle on us? And anyway, it's not nearly as bad as the burning hot cigarette butts that fall down on our balcony from the one up above us!! (I went out to find one had burned a hole through the blanket right next to my child the other day!) Ugh. I was annoyed.

After a few minutes though, I changed from being mad to almost laughing as I thought of how ridiculous it sounded. I was like, Ryan, could you go to management in all seriousness and be like, "Excuse me but there was rice on my balcony. Yes. That's right.  RICE. Can you believe it?  I knew those people were up to no good...."

Then after another few minutes I was like, wait. Seriously? After living below a house full of little boys for two years, that's what you complain about? Not all the jumping and banging and dropping of toys at 7 in the morning?  Not the constant yelling and screaming? Not kids dragging our wood chairs skidding across the floor any time of day so they can go climb up on something? Not the cry-it-out episodes that have gone on for over an hour in the middle of the night? 

Nope. Rice.

Ridiculous.

12 comments:

AnnaMarie said...

Gotta love apartment living. Last summer Katie was "potty training" in underwear and peed on our balcony...right over the downstairs neighbor's bicycle.

Jenilee said...

That is pretty funny. Just sweep it up people, no big deal. Anyway, rice for sand - great idea.

Rachel said...

LOL!!! I laugh because I know EXACTLY what you are talking about. We were visiting gramma a few months ago, and I asked Ella to be quiet. She said, "Does gramma have neighbors below her, too?" My kids don't know HOW to live in a normal house!

Melanie said...

That is funny! Maybe all the other things have brought them to this breaking point and just one more thing no matter how small was going to push them over the edge. But yeah, Rice. Silly! Just sweep it off or let the birds take care of it.

Safire said...

Sheesh people. The things that push people over the edge!

todd & nicole said...

Too funny. Our downstairs neighbors in Provo absolutely hated us, at least the wife did. Then we got to enjoy glares every Sunday. The funny thing we just had Hailee and compared to her brother she was so quiet. I'm just grateful we don't have down stairs neighbors now.

Anonymous said...

That is funny!

Got to love it!

Julie

SuburbiaMom said...

Free food--what are they complaining about?

Rich said...

Sounds like a little case of Cibophobia going on downstairs. Sometimes that in-your-face rice on the balcony technique is the best therapy.

Ty and Trista Swartzlander said...

That's it!!! The rice was the final straw. I am calling management. How totally funny!!!! Thanks for the laugh. ;)

Anonymous said...

Well, it's a wonder they did not call when I dumped all the water from the water table out over the balcony one day last summer when I was visiting. I thought it was simply a parking lot driveway down there! What's a little water? What's a little rice?

xoxoGrammy

Anonymous said...

That's nothing - my downstairs neighbor complained about bird mess on her windowsill... the birds were nesting in the eaves above my window, so somehow this was my fault!