Why It's Never A Good Time For Me To Talk On The Phone

Oh no. There it is again. I hear it from across the room. "This Love" by Mandi Mapes starts playing. But it's not from my iTunes library. It's the ring tone on my phone. My phone is ringing and in 5 seconds someone is expecting me to pick up and give them my undivided attention.

"Hello?" I say. And then the person on the other end of the line speaks those infamous words...... "Is now a good time for you to talk?"

"Hmmm" I think. Is now a good time for me to talk? I assess the situation. My almost 3 year old is crying and whining because she was playing on my phone when it started ringing and I took it away right in the middle of her oh so extremely important game. Because she can't play on my phone any more she decides to open up a big bag of M & Ms and ignore my death stare as I mouth, "PUT THOSE BACK." She skillfully evades my attempts to take them away while I try not to let the person on the other end of the line know what's going on. My big boy is running around the house shooting the nerf gun at his little sister which in turn makes her scream and run for cover behind my legs. He's also suddenly "DYING" of hunger and begging for a snack. I motion to my 3 year old to share her M & Ms with her brother but she refuses, at which point I give in and give them both a good sized bowl of the sugary snack in hopes of 5 minutes of quiet. My baby wants to simultaneously nurse, grab everything in my hands (i.e. my phone), pour out the whole bucket of her brother's {tiny} legos and start eating them, and screech at the top of her lungs when she doesn't get her way. My almost three year old is now yelling at me from the bathroom that she has pooped and needs me to come wipe her. Is it a good time to talk? Hmmmm......

At this point I have two options. I can either decided to hold the conversation right at this very moment, or I can say I'll call them back during......oh I can't even say it..... during the {SACRED} nap time. *GASP* Give up the only quiet time in my day? I just can't do it.

"Sure!" I say. "Now's a great time to talk!" (Not really, but it's as good a time as any.)

And then I lock all the kids in the playroom - works like a charm! =)

Can I hear an AMEN from any other Mamas out there? Please tell me I'm not the only one who's children suddenly need complete and undivided attention in every. single. aspect of their lives as soon as the phone rings?!?!? Don't leave me hanging here!!!

Oh, and by the way, this doesn't mean don't ever call me. Just please don't freak out when you hear screaming in the background, our conversation is interrupted 20 times in a span of 10 minutes, or you hear me say something like, "I will wipe your butt in a minute!"

These sweet kids? How could they ever give me trouble when I'm on the phone?