Time To Up My Game

I've never put a whole lot of genius into my holiday hiding places. The shelf in my closet and under my bed have long been my primary locations to stash Christmas gifts, Easter goodies and birthday presents. I just shove the various items in the places they fit best, stick a box or bag in front of it, and I'm off. Well, today I made my boys scrub the kitchen floor to pay restitution for frying my nerves all day with their constant bickering and kick fights. I couldn't find the bucket that I usually use to put the water and deadly chemicals in, so Ethan piped up with a good suggestion..."Mom, there are Easter buckets in your closet. We could use those." Well, crap. What choice did I have? I used one of the Easter buckets that was meant to be filled with grass and candy as a mop bucket because my brain couldn't quickly enough come up with a reason not to. So now what? Do I use the buckets anyway and just explain that the Easter Bunny must have stolen mine, or that the Easter Bunny must also be a patron of Wal-Mart? Or do I scrap them and go buy different ones? Either way, I've learned my lesson. I will no longer count on my children's ignorance and lack of observation skills to keep my hiding places secret. I will now be forced to use every bit of my gray matter and find a place in the garage to stash things. Or maybe next time they ruin my day I'll just tell them there is no Santa Claus. That would be sufficent payback. I can mop the floor myself.