Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Police Woman

Sometimes I wonder if my neighbors are going to come stage an intervention with child services to find out what is going on over here.  Cause by the end of the today I was MAD!

to spoil the ending for them, they would find a mom who is experiencing her FIFTH 2 YEAR OLD and think all my patience ran out the window.  Be warned if ever you post on Facebook how happy you are that school is back in, those two small children at home with you will make you wonder if you have learned a thing at all!

Seriously folks this is not my first rodeo, but sheesh I have forgotten.  Oh yes, you have to be in my sight every. minute.  Oh yes, you take off your diaper five times but our uninterested in peeing on the potty.  Ivy loves to climb on the piano and stand on the keys while flipping on the light over and over and over again.  About 6 p.m. I had my meltdown (who is keeping score?), I gathered the kids around for a talk.

Mom is no longer going to be the police woman.  Or the detective or the freak out lady (fingers crossed).  We talked about the honor code they have at BYU where students give their honor and that is enough.

Sooooo I shouldn't have to keep a falcon eye on my son trying to switch the piano practice timer from 16 minutes to 12 minutes.  Or find the oreos at 7:30 a.m. that Paisley had taken from the pantry and hidden under her dresser and passing out to her baby sister.  Nor should you be surprised that you do have to practice piano when you have been playing for over a year now!

Overall things have been good over here, tackled some hurdles, got a system for afterschool that is working which is always an adjustment from summer chaos.  Chore, piano, homework, snack.  Those have to be done before they get to play.

Its the littles that I'm wondering about.  A lamp was unscrewed and broken when I was helping with homework today.  Hopefully Jason can fix it.  I found Ivys buckles cut off her toy baby carrier and a guilty looking Paisley who denied it but then I found the craft scissor evidence on the floor.  So by the time she had snuck a popsicle and was hiding from me in my garden and refusing to come in I had thrown my chill pill in the garbage.

(Note to self:  this doesn't help.  You will feel like crap afterwards.  Who cares if she has been sneaky and dishonest all day, freakouts don't do anything but make you sweaty and both of you cry...plus i'm sure its no fun to listen to for the rest of the people in the house...or the neighbors)

But even though I was beating myself up for losing my temper I tried to pull it together and salvage the night.  Unfortunately that did not mean feeling up to cooking.  My neighbor Mia came over and I vented to her (which she was probably thinking I know woman, I thought you have always been nuts to think you could handle them all) but she was nice and just was my friend.

Looked at watch (who I am kidding, nobody uses watches, it was my cell phone or the microwave) and saw it was 6:40 and Jason would be coming home to no dinner soon enough.  What to do?  EGGS.  Luke can make fried eggs.  Even with garlic salt and lime on them.  And he loved it.  Jason ran to the store with the littles as soon as he got home to get some Tapitio cause my kids have to have it on their eggs (even though some put too much and then cry the rest of dinner about their mouth burning...cough...Baylie).  But we did it.

And then read a bunch of stories.  Well Jason did, I hid in the kitchen doing the dishes thinking about how I got a big fat F for the day and hoped it maybe rounded out to a D+ with everything included.

Right before I got super mad at Paisley I felt it.  The spirit try to tell me not to do it.  That this destructive, sneaky and sometimes naughty behavior was all age appropriate.  She is my sweet precious daughter.  And nothing I hadn't dealt with before.  But I didn't listen.  Well shoot.

My old joke used to be five kids close together is so they can all go to therapy together but really I don't want to screw up.  I love being a mom and I love being their mom.  And I'm trying my best even if I think I got the short end of the patience stick.  Also the short end of the thick hair stick, but thats another story.

Have felt a bit crazed of late.  Lots on my plate and most of which I have put there myself.  With big heaping spoonfuls.  And all important to me in some way.  But those kids are the most important and whats that quote.  "No other success in life ...." is more important than success in the home or something like that.

But this morning (I'm telling ya its started early, with the hidden oreos) when I was the only one crabby and listing off all the things I needed to do today ...Luke pointed at my tile of the Forget Me Nots and said, "See mom here, don't forget the difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish sacrifice."  and I thought.  wow kid, thats pretty insightful and thank you for reminding me when I forget.  And so I said, Well how do I know which one is foolish?  And he said, well that one with your friend sounds like a good one.  And he was right.

Cause this sucker isn't long enough...what did end up happening today was that long list melted away.  Things rearranged or canceled and at one point me and Paisley and Ivy were eating cookie dough while watching Studio C on the BYU channel (I can never watch enough Studio C) and I was like, ya this is moment needed to happen today.

p.s. I have no illusion that I will be able to retire my police woman/detective/sheriff/private investigator role any time soon but I do much prefer just being their mom than the enforcer.

p.s.s. and luke nicknamed ivy the incinerator (cause she is good at destroying like any good two year old)

4 comments:

Courtney said...

Hand in there! I hate it when I lose my cool with the kids. It sure makes me feel crappy. Plus, satan is good at pointing out the bad we do and not wanting us to see the good! Your kids are lucky to have you! I love Ivys new nickname!

brookeisacrazylady said...

Love u thanks court

Heather said...

Only a great mother would feel guilty about loosing her cool with her kids.

Nancy Jo said...

You probably got losing your cool from the queen of it - me! Sorry. At least you all survived and turned out pretty good, despite of me. I think you are doing a fabulous job! Great article in the Ensign for Sept about yelling. Good insite.