A++ for Effort

I should have known that it was going to be one of those days. I don't know why on earth we didn't just call it off when we realized that Munchkin was going to be in one of those moods all day where she threw a fit over everything. Defiant, backtalking.....total monster child. Let me tell ya, I stayed far away from her teeth. And I don't think I lost my patience once through all the tantrums. I just kept my calm and let her scream it out in her room until she finished. I even gritted my teeth and didn't get my panties in a wad over the fact that while she was screaming in her room it sounded like she was in a highly destructive mood (banging on the door and kicking the walls and who knows what else). I'm not going to let it bother me. Fighting with her over it just makes her more defiant. She ended up not getting to go with her daddy to the store b/c she (very sassy-like) told me that I couldn't tell her what to do (complete with the head shake). I said, oh yes, I can. You're three and I'm mommy and you will not backtalk me. I would have still let her go, except that daddy made her sit in timeout because she backtalked and then when she was doing everything BUT sit in the timeout chair as we asked her to, daddy said that if she couldn't listen then she couldn't go with him. And since that didn't help her sit in the chair and complete the timeout any better without screaming or kicking, I just told KC to go on. So he did. OH, she had a cow over THAT! I just very calmly told her that she'd lost her chance to go with Daddy b/c that was the consequences of not listening. Then she screamed and growled and howled at me (and I'm so not kidding....) so that was when I made her go to her room to have her fit b/c I wasn't interested in seeing or hearing it, and when she finally calmed down and came out, I think she got the point that not listening and throwing a fit to get her way has consequences that she's not going to like.

.....so we're mean, but at least we're consistent! I refuse to raise a spoiled brat. Not if I can help it anyways!

And I know it was bad today b/c KC actually said out loud, "Is it my imagination, or is she being an absolute BEAR today?" I was like, oh, you are SO not imagining things. Now for ME to say something like that is one thing, but for KC (Mr. Honey Remember, She's Only Three) to say that, well....that's HUGE!. LOL. At least twice today I, in a sugary sweet tone of voice, said, "Honey, remember, she's only THREE!"

BWAHAHAHAHA. Maybe that's wrong, but me and her are always butting heads and KC? She's so wrapped around his finger and he's always getting on me for getting irritated with her for some of her behaviors with me, so it was nice to see her butting heads with someone besides me for a change. HAHA.

Then, too, the K-man, my little sunshine baby, has been the super grumpy bear for the last two days and we think maybe he's got a tummy ache or something (although there's been no fever or abnormal coughing or anything) but it's just not like him to be so grumpy.....

yeah.....so needless to say, between the two grumpsters, we got a lot of THIS:

Some of it was over THIS: (One Elmo, Two Kids, Zero Sharing, NUFF SAID)do ya think there would be any chance that more than one person could look at the camera at a time? NAWWWW. And I have never seen more UNCOOPERATIVE AND SQUIRMY kids! It was like wrestling greased pigs and trying to look like you were not grimacing while doing it. ROFL!!!!! And this picture pretty much sums up the whole kettle of soup.....not to mention the fact that it's a pretty accurate portrayal of us as a family on any typical day.....at any given moment....LOL. KC looks rather possessed....ahhaa....I look like I'm on something really strong (to be smiling that big in such a situation...) and the kids are typical....K-man on the move and Munchkin pouting!

And then there were a lot of THESE kinds of pictures (which are on the passworded picture site...let me know if you want access)......

And through all that, there were several halfway decent ones....that maybe, JUST MAYBE....if I chop a few heads and cut and paste here and there, I might be able to come up with a pretty family portrait to go in the christmas/holiday/love season/three toed tree goddess worship.....or whatever it is you want to call the celebrations which take place in the month of december.....card.

Anyways. I'm pretty tired and although I haven't done a blessed thing today (well, except organize the outfits for the family picture, do laundry, mop the floors [while trying to corral children and keep them from playing in the areas I just mopped and listening to tantrum child], organize and clean out the coffee table, put down a new rug in the living room, cook lunch, get the kids down for naps, sew on the ribbons and roses to Munchkin's dress so that she will be coordinating with the other outfits, get my shower, get myself and the kids ready for pictures, hook up with CV -- who came to the house to help me take the pictures, take the pictures, upload the pics so we can have a hearty laugh, bake cookies while we wait for the pizza to be delivered, eat pizza, get the kids baths, clean up the kitchen from the cookie mess, put the kids to bed, come back in here and post on the lovely blog) I have no idea why I feel tired.

Or why I look like I'm gritting my teeth in this picture and KC has exasperation lines on his forehead.....oh wait, perhaps it was the fact that the munchkin is off to the side of this picture throwing a fit b/c she's not doing whatever it was that she wanted to do instead of what we suggested she do while she wait on us to get a picture. No, I'm sure that wouldn't have been it. Not at all. Couldn't have been.

Well.....goodnight. I'm off to rest my tired eyes. Before one of the kids wakes up and needs me.

This, too, shall pass. This, too, shall pass. This, too, shall pass. This, too................