Relax…

After 21 blissful months of freedom I have officially returned to the cycle of monthly bitch.

I officially get to go to Vegas with Nathan. Quinn is going to stay two nights with our amazing, wonderful, brave friends Tenaya and Tom. Joey is going to stay with my favorite, wonderful sister and brother-in-law. All the details are still in the works, but we are excited.

Last night we removed another deceased fish…the other catfish…and Nemo was looking pretty close to gone too. But, after our fishy prayer last night, we woke up to a happy spunky little goldfish. Hoorray! The guppies are doing well too.

I found out this morning that Johanna’s best friend is moving next week. I knew they were planning on going to Oregon soon, I just didn’t know when. To make matters worse the dad might not be going with them. I am soooo sad for the family and not looking forward to telling poor Joey.

I feel as though nathan and I have been fairly consistent in our parenting of Johanna, so other than genetics I really don’t know where she picked up her royal bitchyness and violent temper. Age three was the first we really started seeing this side of her…uncontrollable screaming and hyperventilating over daily tasks such as going to the bathroom. I don’t understand why this function causes such problems but it does. example: Johanna, run and go peepee and then we will sit down and write some thank yous so we can open you presents (she has been begging to take gifts out of packaging for days, but we have told her she has to write a thank you for each package we open first.) I don’t want to. You need to go potty first. Balistic crying. I start counting 5-4- she runs off screaming to the bathroom, pees, still screaming, I help her reach the TP, still screaming. I tell her that she is out of controll and that this is unacceptable. I decide and tell her that she needs some rest time in her room…read play sleep I dont care…for one hour. More balistic screaming slams bedroom door starts kicking it, opens door, still screaming, slams again. Anyway I think you get the idea. OUT OF CONTROL. Needless to say she came out of her room five times in the hour period, I sent her back each time…and we will not be opening any of her toys today. Maybe tomorrow. My favorite line of her argument was when I told her she was four and that it was unacceptable to behave like this…she came out of her room screaming I’m still three, I’m still three over and over again.

Well after her hour she played more or less cheerfully until I made dinner. She wanted mac and cheese, but I was making chicken, rice, and boccoli (all things she used to love!). She proclaimed a very loud YUCK I don’t like that dinner. I said I was not making more than one dinner and that we could have mac and chees for lunch tomorrow. She ate two bites of rice, and fell asleep on the couch at about 5:30. Nathan tucked her in her bed at 7:30 which means she will likely wake up around 5am whiny and bitchy, starved and “ready ” for her day.
Im tired.
A side note on genetics: my childhood was filled with much screaming and kicking of doors as well as not eating what my mom or dad cooked. I see myself in my daughter in ways I would like to forget I ever behaved like.

Quinn is finding things out the hard way lately. Yesterday morning started off with a very uncomfortable rectal exam…(no blood in the poop though!!) then his one year shots. Two in the arms and one in the leg ( he has never really cried for shots before…these ones he wailed for about five minutes), later he slipped on Johanna’s bed ladder and whacked his head, in the evening he lost his balance and cut his lip and scraped his face on a plastic chair. A little later he tried to creep between the ladder and the bed and wedged his head between them. So far today he has hit his head on the crib, fallen in the shower hitting his head and back knocking the shower caddy down onto me. He smashed his fingers in my dresser drawers and while I was typing this tried to get in the toilet that Joey left open…she shut it on his fingers and then pulled them out knocking him down onto the floor…hitting his head on the corner of the cabinet and the scale. Poor boy…:-(

Finally four! Joey has been begging to be four since before christmas. Her b-day requests…stay for nap at school, eat dinner at souplantaion. Question of the day…tomorrow will it be my birthday and I will be five? Quote of the day…(see nathan’s blog)

I admit that I hate cooking every night and that I am addicted to eating out. Unfortunately, my daughter is becoming worse than I am. I could be planning or even cooking dinner and she will say…”Mommy can go to_____ for dinner.” 99% of the time _____= McDonald’s. When she asks It makes me not want to cook more than I already don’t want to. We eat dinner out almost 50% of the time, sometimes more than that. I try to eat as healthy as possible at whatever restaurant we go to, but it is hard to get veggies for the kids since they won’t/can’t eat salad. Not to mention how much it costs to feed a family of four at any given restaurant. Almost $20 a pop. We can’t afford that! Somehow GOD has blessed us and we haven’t had any recent issues with overdraws. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated, cause I am at a loss.