A Post Title I'm Really Proud of

Today is Day 3 of SITS "Back to Blogging Event", and today's assignment is to share a post whose title I'm really proud of. To be honest, my favorite title is still in the "Drafts Column" - which means I really, really need to get that bugger posted. It was a tough call. One of my favorite post titles was "Bunnycide", but the one I chose?

Motherhood is a Blessing. Right?

I love my kids. I really do.

But somedays (like every morning at 8am) they can drive me absolutely mad. Cuckoo.

Nutso.

And, really, when I say "they", I mean Pea. (I'm just trying to stay fair and not single one out, but I can't).

My daughter is a sight to behold in the mornings. Seriously, I contemplate giving HER some coffee to start her morning, because its just that bad.

Don't get me wrong - she is a lovely, happy little girl. I knwo this, because she can turn that temper OFF just as quickly as she turns it on, and then she is the sweetest thing outside of a candy store. Like a big, squishy, huggy lump of chocolate.

Mmmmm.....chocolate.....

Sorry. (Focus......)

So dealing with tantrums means striking a balance of trying not to lose my temper and instead see the humor in the situation - without laughing. Because that would make her go through the ceiling, and then she gets completely unmanageable!

You tell me how difficult this would be....

• when your daughter is biting her underpants (in hand, not while wearing them, although that would be even funnier) and then throwing them against the wall, while yelling "these are STUPID! Throw them AWAY"
• when she's lying naked in the middle of her hot pink furry area rug, rolling around yelling "I am NOT getting dwessed and I am NOT going to school"
• when she is sitting on the bottom step, arms crossed, bottom lip stuck out far enough to land a small bird on, one shoe on, one shoe against the opposite wall where she has thrown it after yelling "I'm NOT going to school"

The only reason I can keep from laughing is because I'm seriously pissed at the same time.

Since I know that the minute we pull into the car park by school, she'll be bouncing out of the car, yelling hello to her friends and screeching their names, and running into school, happpy to be there. I'm told that they see her as a happy, confident little girl - one who clearly knows her mind.

So I won't take it personally.

But, believe me, while I know that it is a blessing to have these two wonderful kids and get to experience everything through their eyes, there are days that it feels less like a blessing and more like penance, for every moment of grief we ever gave our parents.

And for that, Mom and Dad, I am truly, really sorry.

--------

This post in particular appeals to me because, really, it sums up WHY I blog - to capture moments of motherhood where, maybe not especially desirable, let me realize the beauty of my kids, their joy, their delight, their not-so-pretty moments....and to put it all in perspective.


'Cause, honestly, most days? I needs me some perspective.

I can't forget to give a shout-out to the sponsors of the "Back to Blogging" challenge, so go say "hi" to Standards of Excellence, Westar Kitchen and Bath, and Florida Builder Appliances.   

Flashback

So, in my last post, I took a look back at my very first blog post from May 2008 - which left me browsing through a few other early posts....

....and came across one where Boo, then 4, was having constant meltdowns and we were having some major power struggles.

Huh.

And then another one, where we were having daily battles about...yup...shoes.

Both topics are familiar to me, as I have the same conversations (and a few similar blogposts) about Pea.

Why I didn't remember this, I don't know. (Maybe its like childbirth - you forget the pain so that you do it again....)

Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt. And here I am again. I feel cheated, as it SHOULD be easier this time around, shouldn't it?

But its not. So please, if you don't mind, pass me the Lexapro and a vodka tonic. Second time around is gonna be a rough ride.

Sandpile

If anyone is looking for the sand from the school playground - it is here on my hallway floor....

...and in Boo's shoes....and in Pea's underpants...and on the bathroom floor...

Seriously, you could do a softshoe dance in my hallway. (I know, I did...step, step, shuffle slide...)

Despite my ear-splitting "NOOOOOOOooooooooooo!" every single day after school as they take off their shoes in the middle of the hallway and turn them upside down. Every. Single. Day.

Sheesh.

I'm expecting a bill from the PTFA any day now, as apparently they paid a lot of money for all that sand.
I know I'm not the only parent with this problem. I'm just wondering how the teachers can keep those kids concentrating in the afternoon. I couldn't sit for long with the amount of sand that Pea carried home in her Princess underpants alone.

In the meantime...
I'll shuffle off to Buffalo. Or something like that.