You Stayed With Us

Countdown to Crazy

Jennie's POV

If there was one thing I absolutely refused to enter the New Year with, it was a messy house. My mother always said, "The way your house looks on the first day of the year sets the tone for the rest of the year." And while I didn't know if that was true or just another one of her mom-superstitions, I wasn't taking chances.

Which was why, on this particular morning, I clapped my hands like a drill sergeant in front of my family.

"Everyone, listen up! Today... we clean."

The twins immediately groaned in unison, as if I had just announced their favorite toy store was closing down forever.

"But Mommy," Noah whined, dragging out the 'y' like he was auditioning for a tragic soap opera, "it's vacation."

"Yeah," Nathan chimed in, pointing at the dust bunnies under the couch. "They look happy here. Why can't we just... let them live?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Dust bunnies are not pets, Nathan."

"They could be!" Noah argued, already chasing Cooper, with a mop. "Look, Cooper likes them!"

Cooper barked happily, tail wagging, clearly thrilled by the mess.

Before I could lecture anyone further, Lisa came up behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist. "Babe," she whispered, lips brushing my ear in that infuriatingly distracting way, "don't you think the house looks... fine?"

I turned to give her the you-are-not-helping glare. She smiled innocently, but I could see the mischief in her eyes.

"It does not look fine. Look at the living room! It's like a tornado and a toy store had a baby."

Lisa grinned. "Well... it's our tornado baby." Then she kissed my cheek, clearly trying to soften me up.

"Nope," I said firmly, swatting her playfully with a rag. "No kisses until the house sparkles."

From somewhere down the hall, Ella's voice floated out. "I'm already cleaning my room!"

Translation: she was hiding in there with her headphones on, scrolling through her phone.

"Ella Kim Manoban!" I called out, marching down the hall. I opened her door only to find her sitting cross-legged on her bed, a single sock in her hand like she'd been pretending to fold laundry. Her phone glowed suspiciously under a pillow.

She smiled sweetly at me. "See? Organizing."

I crossed my arms. "Organizing your TikTok feed?"

Her jaw dropped. "How did you—Mom!"

"Nice try," I said, pointing at the pile of clothes on her chair. "Ten minutes, or I'm confiscating the phone."

Ella sighed dramatically, but she slid off the bed and began folding shirts with the enthusiasm of someone attending their own funeral.

Back in the living room, things had somehow escalated.

The twins had turned the mops into swords and were dueling like knights. "For the kingdom!" Noah shouted.

"To protect Dada's honor!" Nathan countered.

Scarlett squealed with delight as she ran in circles around them, spraying water from a squirt bottle. "I clean! I clean! Splash splash!"

"Scarlett, no—" I started, but too late. She had just sprayed Cooper, who shook violently, sending water droplets flying all over the freshly wiped windows.

"Scarlett Kim Manoban!" I groaned.

"Cooper's dirty," she said proudly, holding up the spray bottle like it was a magic wand. "I make him shiny."