Help Me

Help me to be a good mother, help me not to ruin my kids. This is my prayer, my mantra every day, and it seems I'm repeating it more than usual this past week. If I may complain just a moment, I need a little blog therapy.

This happens every June. And even though I know it's coming, it still knocks me over every year. My life goes from coasting along smoothly, to completely out of control overnight it seems. You see, at the exact same time that I have the most weddings of the entire year, the kids get out of school. Which seems like a cruel joke, really. And for all you who are saying "I thought she wasn't doing weddings anymore", well, I am. Times are tough.

The kids always go through a week of being in limbo when school gets out, and they have to learn how to live with each other again. And when you have three kids, you never really have just three, you actually have six, because they each have a friend over most of the time.

I was doing really well until today, because it's going on day seven of rain and kids being inside the whole time. I feel as if I have been trapped in my house since school got out except for a grocery trip to Walmart at 10pm one night (woohoo!) and I spent last weekend in bed with the flu. Today was exceptionally long because I woke up at 4:30 and couldn't go back to sleep. And I knew Dave wouldn't be coming home tonight to relieve me at dinnertime. Cade was in a particularly bored mood, and I tried one thing after another to spark his imagination, but nothing sounded fun.

We went to the library to get a new book, but he had issues with the feel of the paper in the book and wouldn't read it. Honestly, can anybody feel my pain with having a highly sensitive kid to anything he touches? Do you know ANY other kid who has to test out the feel of the paper in a book before he can read it???????????? Hellllllpp Meeeeeeeeee.

Then he begged me to build him a fort, which I did, but then he was upset because Bailey didn't want to play in it with him. So it's still in my basement, untouched. Then he wanted to eat lunch in the sandbox, which reminds me, my dishes are still out there.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to make these pomandiers for a wedding this weekend. Which only takes about 14 hours when you've got kids. I kept saying Can I Just! Have! Five! Minutes!

And iron my mountain of linens while listening to the sweet sound of sibling rivalry. These are the days I question my decision to get rid of cable. They at least could watch Drake and Josh together without fighting.

And while I'm doing this, Avery has trouble with her pants and pees all over the floor.

Later she decides to look at her scrapbook, and takes all the pictures out of the plastic sleeves. Then she makes some creation out of a ball of yarn, some elastics, and some scissors. What a great mom I am.

But this day isn't over yet. (I wish it was!) Just before bed, I notice another of Avery's creations. She'd painted her horse with a blue marker "Just like Spirit, Mom!" This is why I can't work and take care of kids at the same time.

By this time I'm just beyond being snippy, I need this day to end, before the dragon comes out.

Too Late.

The kids decide to sleep in the fort, and I'm happy they are finally playing together, even if it is 10pm. Just when I think I made it through the day, the kids are all snuggled in, I hear "Mooooooom, Avery stuck her gum on the couch!

The sun will come out, tomorrow! I hope.