Am I Doing It Wrong????

Today?  I wanna do over.  Not the whole day, actually.  Just most of it.  I know, "Mamma said there'd be days like this", but why?  WHY????

Today started out just fine.  We had a little preview of what was to come this morning when I said to my children, as I do every single day, "Okay, please go up and brush your teeth so you'll be ready to go".  (Insert nagging mom voice here).  I mean, not really nagging, just a mom-like voice saying a mom-like thing.

Doesn't that sound fairly pleasant?  Does it make sense?  It is English.  The language my children speak and understand.  So we should be good with just a one time request, right?  WRONG.

I repeated.  And the repeated again.  I think that was probably it because they went upstairs at least.  They brushed teeth and hair (today was picture day for the two big kids so we spent a little more time on clothes and hair than usual--lots of cooperation at this point, and for that I am thankful).

Fast forward through the day.  Quick drop off of big kids (who are actually dropped at the curb on request of the little/big sister--who feels like big stuff with that privilege).  Rush to the gym--run on treadmill (Detroit marathon relay coming up this Sunday).  Quick trip to a home store in search of a toaster to replace our broken one (no luck, saw cute stuff including a little chair that has the words "TIME OUT" written on it--I showed it to the little one and read her the words--she said, "Oh that is for when we are difficult and you are frustrated and annoyed.  So we can sit there and DO NOT GET UP OR PLAY WITH TOYS".  These are the moments I know she's paying attention).  Then home to clean up and change.  Back to school to grab little/big sister. (She had a good day--learned about Christopher Columbus and 3 ships).  Home for lunch.  Out for way too many errands.  (It was bad from the beginning when we arrived at the first store and the little one who had just gone potty at home, had to go again--really?  again?)  Lots of fighting.  Lots of threatening.  Lots of frustration.  Then home.  Put away groceries.  Handed out snacks.  Lamented over incomplete errands.  Back to pick up big brother.  (Also had a good day, but arrived to a car with crying sister who chose to stick her toe into a tiny ring on the back of the seat in front of her.  It wouldn't come out.  She was freaking out.  I had to get out of the car in the pick up line and help her. FRUSTRATING!) Back home. More snacks. To swim lessons.  Crying in the shower.  Home.  Made dinner--home made pizza rolls.  Not all that popular.  Can't win.

Then the finale.  I asked them to go upstairs, put on their pajamas and brush their teeth while I finished cleaning up.  This is our routine.  They're not new.  They know.  I heard them arguing about who would brush first.  Seriously?

It continued.  Actually, the youngest one did what was asked, but I didn't know that at the time.  All I heard was the older two yelling down to me telling on each other.  "He won't brush first!"  "She won't brush her teeth first!"  Are. You. Kidding. Me????

I screamed.  Loudly.  The neighbors probably heard everything because it is hot and the windows downstairs were open.  It wasn't pretty.  I feel a little like Colonel Jessup here, "YOU WANT THE TRUTH????"  "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!!!"

I was a crazy person screaming about teeth brushing.  Really.  It is embarrassing.  I made them all go to bed.  No books.  No quiet time with mommy.  No prayers.  Nothing.  I went to my room ranting and raving (literally) about why would anyone push their mom over the edge???  Why?  They knew my patience was running out.  They saw what I put up with all afternoon. (At least two of them did, and the third walked right in with the toe in the ring incident).

I took a bath.  I calmed down.  I cried about how sad I felt putting them to bed like that.  I went to each of their rooms to apologize and tuck them in.  Snores in the little one's room, but I still apologized.  I mean she was the only one who did what I asked!  The other two were still awake, although little/big sister was groggy.  They were tired.  I am tired.  Daddy's gone.  Sometimes this is really, really hard.

I would rather be updating with fun pictures from the weekend and with video of touchdowns from the flag football game.  (No pictures of the cheerleader this week--she wasn't into it again).  Instead I'm feeling icky about bed time and dreading the scene when I have to mention the "t" word again tomorrow.  It is only Monday.  We still have two more nights to go before our back up gets home and even then he is not always around for either tooth brushing time, at the most, one of them.  I need to pace myself.  And I need to get some sleep.  Grace for today.  I'll get my do over tomorrow.