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The color red is associated with a lot of wonderful things… love, for instance. The sky during an exceptional sunset.

It is also the only color I happen to be able to see at the moment.

Please, please, don’t EVER come to my house and ring my doorbell between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. EVER. (Okay, maybe if it’s a life-or-death emergency. Maybe.)

Dan was filling the tub and I was on a business phone call and several of our children were in various states of undress when the doorbell rang this evening. I motioned to Dan that he’d have to get the door since I was on the phone. He turned off the water, leaving the tub partially filled.

While I was on the phone and Dan was busy with our neighbor (who was collecting homeowner association dues), Maria, Luke and Sam decide to go ahead and bathe themselves. Jack “kept and eye on everyone.”

I wrapped up my phone conversation and started putting groceries away, but I could tell from the noise level that things in the bathroom were escalating. Dan was still in deep conversation with the neighbor and it didn’t appear to be drawing to a close. So, I checked on the children.

Before I even opened the door, I could see water. The carpet in my bedroom was already starting to soak it up.

I opened the door and for a moment all I could see was red. Blood red.

See, we have some new red towels and bathmats. And they run. Like you wouldn’t believe. So, not only was my bathroom FLOODED, but it looked like the Red Sea. Or someone trying to wash away a murder unsuccessfully.

To add to things, no one stopped what they were doing when I opened the door. I stood and watched as Maria tossed a cupful of water onto Jack, who was standing in a corner, trying to get away. Quickly following that was Luke dumping a cup of water onto the already flooded floor.

I don’t know if I’ve ever moved so fast. I grabbed Luke (cup still in hand) and smacked his butt. I pulled him out of the tub and had him stand there while I grabbed Maria, smacked her butt and pulled her out. They, of course, started SCREAMING bloody murder (which is what it looked like had happened). Sam, despite not having been touched, started crying, too, because that’s what everyone else was doing.

I sent Maria and Luke upstairs to get dressed and into bed and started sopping up the mess. In front of my very eyes my darling 22-month-old, not having learned through his siblings, proceeded to dump an entire cup of water onto the floor. AT MY FEET.

His previously untouched little butt got smacked, too.

So… red is also the color of my hand print on the naughty little behinds of my youngest three children.

It’s also the color of the wine I am now permitted to drink, since Phase I of the SBD is over. Thank God.

A picture of the clean up. And this is diluted!