Why my children are hard today...

Okay, I admit I've been a little grumpy today, probably because it took until after noon to take a shower. I HATE that! If I don't find time before Dan leaves, it takes a long time to get around to it. And no matter how productive I've been, I feel like I've been wasting time, just because I have nasty hair and am in my pajamas & glasses. And I really struggle to get around to it because of little Miss Kathryn. I can't leave her free, no way she wouldn't destroy the world in the amount of time it takes me to shower. I can't leave her in the saucer anymore, she hates to be confined. And even the high chair doesn't keep her happy for long. I don't want to give her too much food, for fear that she'd shove 15 cheerios into her mouth, mush them into a throat shaped glob, and choke on it. Nothing would kill the after shower happy feeling like finding a dead baby in the high chair. Although a screaming baby (not crying, actually screaming) with absolutely nothing on her tray and nobody around to entertain her (apparently the boys only feel the need to hang out in the kitchen when I'm there) isn't all that much fun, either...

So, my point is, I'm cranky. But the kids do seem extra hard lately. Starting with Ryan (I never start with him, being the middle child, so I will today). He has started being incredibly rude lately. He says "NO!" with such force and anger, and pretty much any time I ask him to do anything. "Go wash your hands." "NO!" "Please hang up your jacket." "NO!" etc, etc, etc. The boys both worked for a long time to earn 50 points (pony beads on a string) to each "buy" a Transformer they had picked out. I think they got them on Monday. And now that the bribery is over, they're back to their worst behavior. Which on one hand makes me want to find another thing to have them earn, so they'll have motivation to be good. But I shouldn't have to! I don't want to give them something for not being bad if it's the only way they won't be bad!


And David - the kid will not stop talking! I guess that's more of a Mommy feeling cranky thing, but good grief is it annoying! I don't know if it's just being a kid, just being David, ADHD, or a combination, but the kid won't keep his mouth shut for any amount of time! The kids asked me to play the Wii earlier (and I graciously gave in, of course), and he seriously sat there and narrated the whole thing! And he was specifically talking to me, expecting responses and everything! "Punch that guy in the head!" "I'm trying." "You fell down, Mom." "I know." "You're playing again." "I know." Grrr! The constant noise gets so irritating!





And then we have Katy. She sleeps about 13 hours in a 24 hour period. She spends about 1 hour nursing, and another hour in her high chair. I think she plays with her toys for MAYBE an hour a day. Maybe. The other 8 hours a day she crawls around the house, leaving destruction wherever possible. The kitchen cupboards that don't latch together are frequently destroyed. If we accidentally leave anything within reach on the couches or end table, it's hers. If anyone happens to leave my bedroom open, she climbs on the roomba, or takes magazines out of my nightstand and flings them about. And if the bathroom door is open, she immediately goes for either my contacts or glasses (whichever I'm not currently wearing), or the toilet if she's lucky enough to find it open. I rarely get on the computer these days, because if I take Katy into the office she spends her time trying to reset the computer and play with all the various bills that I can't file away because she's there!