All encompassing

I need to vent. My kids are all encompassing and yet I feel like I am a boring mom. The big excitement today was fingerpainting. How lame is that?

 

I feel like I should do some cool stuff with them. Cool places to visit. Especially as the summer is winding down, I have a laundry list of stuff we didn't do. And I have guilt about it.

Anyway, the kids always need something or, during those quieter, down times, I want to give one of them special attention. For instance, Ryan is napping so I spend time with Drew reading to him, baking, a work sheet etc. Or I give Ryan special attention while Andrew is occupied.

 

This is all stuff I want to do, and I miss doing lately, since I am spread thin with Emma. But as a result, I am running around all the time with one of the kids. From 6AM-10PM there is always someone needing something.

 

Today, both Ryan and Emma were sleeping and Andrew kept bringing me book after book to read to him. I SO desperately just wanted to chill out, maybe surf the Internet, call someone. Just get a break while 2 out of 3 kids were sleeping. But....how can you refuse your kid? So we went onto read several more books until Emma started to fuss. Quiet time over.

 

And none of the kids seems to particularly grateful for the attention.

Plus Drew is stressed. peeing a lot, grinding his teeth at night. Everyone blames Emma's arrival. I think it's kindergarten but yet I worry that I am too stressed as a mom and yelling. God, am I stressing him out? Awesome, something else to feel guilty about.

 

I sit down, look around and really don't think our household is a stressful one. But what do I know? These little bodies, little minds. Maybe I can do more to make it nuturing and peaceful. Would that help Andrew? It won't hurt, that's for sure. But how can it be peaceful when they are wild, running, getting hurt and disobeying?