Funny how by Friday I am always ready to sell one of my children….ok not always, but I’d happy ship off the two larger ones this afternoon. They have done nothing but pick and pick at each other all day. Usually they spend more time as best friends than as enemies but the balance is a bit out of wack today and it is screaming banshees at ten paces and look out for the flying shoes.
So hmm… what to be grateful for??
I was going to be grateful that the rain had stopped. I am grateful that it did in fact pour with rain on and off for the last three days, especially as we are on tank water (though we are so good with saving water that we have never been below half empty on our tanks – yay us!), I am also equally grateful that by the third day of the girls being stuck inside it stopped, the sun came out and I could send the twinadoes “OUT – OUTSIDE!”
So I was going to be grateful for a lovely Autumn Day (yeah bye bye summer that 40 degree day a little over a week ago was the last of it I think!) and for the fact that we have a nice big yard with a trampoline and a sandpit and swings…. All things I truly am grateful for, really I am…. well I was until the scream went up in stereo.
What now???? Who looked sideways at who, and can’t you just get along for five minutes????
They had been laying on their swings, side by side, twisting them up and twirling around until CLONK – they hit heads in the middle, and both immediately blamed each other. Yes I know it would have hurt, I know how fast they spin around and how hard they would have hit heads, and I was all set to be compassionate, giving cuddles and everything – but they couldn’t even have a cuddle with war breaking out.
“I’m having a cuddle, get off”
“No it’s my Mummy”
“My mummy – I don’t want her to have a cuddle” – shove
“Nooooooooooo” – blow wet spit raspberry in your sisters face
“Nooooooooooo-ooooooh!” – stamp foot and spit back at sister.
Delightful little princesses aren’t they?
So maybe I should be grateful that the Baldy Boy is coming home at five, to take the Twinadoes out to The Shed for some much needed DaddyTime before he heads off to socialise with his friends (yes with adults, without any children, not even one child, in tow)? An hour of peace before I tackle dinner bath and bed on my own for the second night in a row – now that I can be grateful for. Except that it is 5:30 already and I am guessing the Baldy Boy is stuck in traffic or otherwise held up. Now I know he won’t have done this on purpose, I know he knows how much an hour of peace means to me, he was driving all the way back from the city to give it to me. I also don’t begrudge him a night out with his mates (no matter how much I wish it was me), he works hard (over time last night till 1am) to earn the money we need to get by, not to mention all the stuff he does around here and how much he helps out other people. Heck, he spent his Easter bonus money on a dishwasher – he really is part saint and I am grateful… but it’s now 5:45 and I have just broken up yet another fight and had to explain why The Shed is looking like less and less of an option with howling the general response.
Maybe I should be grateful for the small child? He is small and adorable and has those big blue eyes… must be something I am be grateful for there. He is not well at the moment though, and in true Muski style has only slept for fifteen minutes since we got up at 8am this morning, and that was in the car on the way home from the chemist. A nine month old, fifteen minutes sleep in the last nine, almost ten, hours… surely that’s not right? I am grateful that despite his cough and the lack of sleep he is generally happy, well that is if he is sitting on my lap pulling my hair, sticking his fingers up my nose or scratching my face with those sharp baby nails of his.
I am struggling here people…. Maybe I should just be grateful that I have only yelled twice today? That I broke out the glue and glitter for the Twinadoes to try and break the cycle instead of banishing them to their rooms like I was tempted to do? That I haven’t sold any of my children into slavery, not today anyway….
Maybe… maybe…
6:05 pm He’s home! He’s Home! Shed Time! Thirty minutes of peace before dinner. Bliss. Now that I am grateful for!
What are you grateful for?
Ok, ok, so I need to get back into blogging! But seriously, I’m grateful other people share things like this so I know I’m not the only person going through motherhood, nor the only person that finds it overly difficult at times (like almost all the time…LOL). Thanks Kate!
Oh gosh, Fridays are generally tough for us too…Hope everyone is fast asleep now!
Some days really are a challenge with children. Thank goodness they aren’t all that way.
Oh, I’ve had lots of days like that and you are doing a great job. Hope you get to have a good night’s sleep and it all feels better in the morning.
{Big Hug} because it sounds like you need one. Hope your Saturday was better.