So, I just needed to vent to someone out there. My 3 yr old is KICKING MY BUTT!!!! WOW.... it just seems like NOTHING I do or say it working. I really try not make every little thing a battle but lately it seems like HE is making every little thing a battle. It's either let him get away w/ telling me no or not doing what I've asked or fight it out. Everything from cleaning up toys, doing his chores, going potty, getting dressed, going to bed, playing nicely w/ his baby brother, etc... It just does not matter what I ask him to do, he wants to do his own thing. I try logic, I try to be gentle and calm and ask nicely, I try yelling (not that I SHOULD mind you), I try bribing, I try threatening, I try positive reinforcement, I try tricking him into it...it just does NOT work! What's going on!??!?!!! I'm really hoping that this is just a phase of his. That when he turns 4 it'll be better?? But what if it's a character trait that he's forming? I feel very inadequate and unequipped to handle this. Of course I'm praying but to be honest, most days it doesn't seem to help either! lol... I feel at a loss. He's SO darn cute and funny! Which is good b/c I need it to carry me through those rough times! Anyway, just needed to let somebody out there-who knows what I'm going through-know that I'm feeling very lost and in over my head!

I'd like a moment please...

So, do any of you have this problem? For whatever reason I just can't seem to go to the bathroom alone. I either have my 3 yr old walking in on my telling me I need privacy so people won't see my penis (yeah, not quite at the point where I tell him "boys have a penis and girls have a vagina") or I have my 1 yr old toddling in to find me and either want to sit on my lap or want to look through my legs to the water (and what-not) in the toilet! I mean, come on... since when did the bathroom become such a cool place to hang out!? BUT WAIT, I remembered how it was when I was growing up. Mom would inevitably need something while she was on the "pot" and we'd have to come in and talk to her or listen to a story of hers or whatever. I mean, I can REALLY recall the picture memory of my mom sitting on the toilet and me and my sisters sitting on the tub-which hurts your butt big time-gagging from the smell but for some reason or another being STUCK there. After contemplating this for a while I come to this conclusion. I think that when we were babies we also toddled into the bathroom to be close to mom. I'm sure she hated it every bit as much as I do but got tired of listening to the pounding on the door as well and gave in to our desires to follow her there. She must have just gotten so used to us being in there with her that she got to the point where she just could not "go" without us being there! So, my goal is to make sure that I do NOT get used to having my kids in the bathroom b/c I definitely do NOT want my grown kids one day to have a mental picture of me sitting on the "pot" trying to "go." From now on I think I'm going to say, "I'd like a moment please..." and lock the door so I can take care of business ALONE!

Sick and Tired

So, today is a day I wish I wasn't a mom. Ever have those days? I'm tired of cleaning up the high chair after meals. I'm tired of kids screaming while I diaper them. I'm sick of fighting a child to go pee on the toilet! I'm sick of waking up in the middle of the night for whatever reason. I'm tired of having a little one crawl all over me. Knees in my gut, elbow in my breast, fist all over my face... I'm not a jungle gym! I'm tired of giving all the time. I'm literally being drained of all life! Then I have a 3 yr old who is constantly testing me. He seems to be impervious to anything I do to try and correct his behavior. I feel like I'm in a constant state of "grrr!" with him right now. I'm finding myself cursing a lot under my breath, hoping and praying that it doesn't come out one day! In short I'm just sick and tired of being sick and tired.