Last Thursday was one of those days you want to crawl back in bed, pull the covers to your nose, and wait until midnight strikes for a new day.  I found myself bawling over a bathroom floor covered in toilet water.  See, my son Vahn is a mischievous one and always is interested in how things work and cause and affect (is that a correct sentence?  there are too many and’s I think. oh well.).  Sometimes its hilarious and sometimes, well, not so much.  I thought he was going potty, however taking a little too long.  I yelled at him to get out of the bathroom (many times he plays at the sink with stuff).  I then hear water running, like the sound of the bathtub being turned on.  I yell at him to turn off the water and proceed to the bathroom for a chat about not fooling around in the bathroom (again).  I get to the bathroom and he is nekkid and trying to gingerly walk through the water so as not to slip.  It had already started flowing out of the bathroom.  I quickly went and turned the water off, then got a couple towels to stop it from coming out any further.  In my low, scary, mommy only uses it when she is about to blow up voice, I told him to go upstairs.  I didn’t trust myself to be around him.  I was already on the brink of overwhelmed due to some stuff I told my hubby I would help him do (that’s what you get for trying to be a good wife).  After the towel was put down, I sat in the doorway of the bathroom and bawled, and bawled, and bawled some more.  I resolved to scrape this stuff back on my hubby’s plate.  It has just become lead in my pocket.  I think because my heart really isn’t into it, and it seems to be just one more thing to commit to.  Anyways, after I wiped my slobbering mess, I had to clean the bathroom and do a couple loads of laundry of clothes (there was a pile of dirty clothes on the floor now wet with toilet water), rugs, and towels.  Apparently this sweet son of mine, piece by piece, placed a whole roll of toilet paper in the toilet and flushed.  Aaahh the joys of a curious little boy.

I love God’s sense of humor sometimes.  My hubby had just got paid for the month and wanted to do something nice for me.  I talked to him and cried my whoas later in the day.  He told me he had some extra stuff for me to do the next day after my appointment.  I sighed, more crap to do.  He said I would like it.  He came home that night with an appointment to get a mani/pedi (it doesn’t matter how busy a place is, they always remember me because he is the one who makes me appointments, and I think I have found my favorite place) and a gift card for my favorite little coffee shop.

On friday, I went to my appointment, bought a book, went to Ava Roaseria’s for lunch and coffee, then went to get my nails all prettied up.

Whenever I get really frustrated with Kevin, it seems he does something which then makes me feel like a shmuck.  The funny thing is, I don’t tell him I am frustrated and he has no clue.  He will just show up with something nice like flowers or a gift card for coffee.

What has happened to my happy comedian.  It’s like he hit puberty in girl mode.  When he gets mad, he clenches his fists, bangs them against the imaginary table, grits his teeth, and yells at the offender.  Everything makes him cry, and he has been taken over by the whiny monster.  Where did my sweet Vahny go?  Kevin thinks maybe he is in a bad mood because he is refusing to poo.  Potty training with him has been a struggle.  It seemed to happen over night though.  All of a sudden he didn’t want to wear pull ups and we hadn’t been working on it very long.  Well, the whole poop part of it scares him (it cary mommy, cary).  For the last 3 days he has refused to go although he complains about how it hurts.  He keeps asking for me to put a diaper on him and I have been refusing.  He won’t even accept bribes which have worked in the past!  Seriously, so every time he needs to go, I will have to put a diaper on him and clean it.  I don’t think his teacher at school is going to enjoy changing the diaper of an 8 year old.  Finally this morning he went all on his own.  I think I saw the clouds part and heard the angels sing.  Granted he still has some of his ‘tude, however, he isn’t as clingy and whiny.  YEAH!!  Maybe this is the beginning of no more potty struggles (fingers crossed)!

Vahn is funny in this way.  His yes is yes and his no is no.  It is hard to bribe him.  He also has to be diciplined in a different way than the other two.  Example, I took away pretty much all their toys because they weren’t cleaning them up.  Vahn smiled while Cozette was crying.  I told them they can earn them back by doing chores.  Vahn said in his famous (it’s never just no) ‘”no fank you”.  Vahn got to go to bed instead and it didn’t seem to bother him at all.   As we speak, most of his toys are still put away and he doesn’t care!  I have to stand my ground or he will run me over.  Compromise hardly ever happens.  It isn’t in a bad way, it’s actually pretty funny!  He is one we aren’t to worried about peer pressure (it doesn’t work now and it will probably not work in 10 years).  Each of my kids crack me up with their personalities and idiosyncrasies.

i don’t take out my picket sign much, however, today was one of those days.  i always joke with my hubby he will come home and i will be outside pacing with my sign chanting “Higher Wages, Better Benefits”.  It wasn’t necessarily a bad day, just one of those days you wish the pay was better.  The pace i have been going lately has made me a bit tired (not to mention a couple months back i switched to decaf!).  i had the neighbor’s baby today and she was quite fussy (i think she is teething).  my youngest, newly potty trained man had the runs BAD!  I was trying to do Cozette’s learning time (she gets her own time since we decided not to do preschool this year) and we kept getting interrupted.  The baby kept getting upset, then Vahn had to poop (its only been 3 days since the torture of the first experience so he still needs company),  then we would get started and the baby would cry, then Vahn had to go AGAIN!  For some reason the kids wanted to play instead of pick up toys.  This surprised me because Cozette can be such a task master (wonder where she got that great eehhmm leadership quality?).  She will tell you where everything goes, remind you to pick up if you aren’t, and encourage you when you are.  i guess no lunch time cookies little children because i only give cookies to boys and girls who clean up after themselves.  On to nap time.  Since i was so tired, i was going to get a quick shut eye.  UUhh, no.  Lately the baby’s nap time hasn’t been completely peaceful.  She wakes up, cries for a few, then falls back asleep.  Why are we so tortured with teething in this life??!!  Someone answer me!  Just after i fell asleep, she woke up and proceeded with her cycle of crying and sleeping.  i guess i have to work, that didn’t even go well!  Comcast must be doing something on the street because the TV and internet went off at the same time for about an hour.  YIKES!  Precious nap time work, bye bye.  The topper of it all is diarrhea boy.  Twice this afternoon, he let loose and clothes were crying (at least i thought i heard them.  maybe it was just me).  One pair of pants had to be cut like they do when you are in an accident and they have to cut off your clothes.  Thankfully we still have some Pull Ups!  He was quite mad he couldn’t wear his undies to bed, no thank you!  Full day kindergarten has been a huge adjustement for Chandlur and especially his attitude in the evening.  He has been argumentative, whiny, and just all around more tired (that’s what my intuitive mommy brain says).  My hubby came home a wee earlier than normal and made dinner.  Does that count for better benefits?