I'm too tired to think of a title.

Do I write a lot of posts about how exhausted I am? I feel like maybe there's a recurring theme here. It's not all bad and just so you don't get the wrong idea, I should mention again that I love my life and my kids more than anything on the planet, but there are days...

Last weekend, I had the "come aparts" (as Dayven calls them), also known as blowing a gasket. I am just so dang tired (turns out I'm quite anemic and am now taking iron supplements) and there are days when I feel like all I do all day long is clean up one mess after the next. I know, I know, that's just the way it is with little kids and normally I don't mind much but....  Possibly my short temper and lack of patience is fueled by my pregnancy. I find I have little tolerance for shenanigans these days.

The kids have eaten their last snack outside of the kitchen. We had instituted a "no eating outside the kitchen" rule a while back, but I've gotten lazy slack lately and let things go a bit. When I went to sit on the couch and found a pile of popcorn kernels, I'd had it. I announced to no one in particular that the last kernel had been consumed and I hope they enjoyed it because from now on we would be eating our snack at the kitchen table like civilized people. Wyatt said "Mommy, just calm down. Take a deep breath and count to ten". Deep breath? What mommy needs is a stiff drink, kid.

Also known as "The Last Snack".

Somehow, the toys started migrating into various rooms of the house. Since I think it's safe to assume that they're not walking/driving there on their own, someone is putting them there. There was once a point that we had a small basket of toys in practically every room of the house, but that started driving me mental a while ago. Now they are only in the toy room and in their rooms. Not in any other room of the house, unless someone brings them there. Every night, I used to painstakingly comb through the toy room after the kids were in bed, returning every lego and action figure to it's correct bin. Then I realized that I was the only one who cared what bin it was in and no one was really respecting the system but me. My Little Pony in the Stars Wars bin?? What was happening up here? Anarchy, that's what! If the toys are starting to make their way downstairs then clearly we have too many. So, I took a big Rubbermaid tub this weekend and went through the toy room, loading it up. If they don't miss it, they probably don't need it.We're going to have a new batch of toys making their arrival in a few weeks anyway, when Santa's sleigh makes its delivery. Now everytime the kids see a toy commercial in TV, they say "Mommy, maybe I should ask Santa for that!" Tis the season of "getting" in kids' mind, right?

I'm in a bit of a cooking slump lately. I still do it every night (what choice do have?) but I'm just not loving it lately like I usually do. I am frustrated when I try something different and the kids pick at it. I struggle to come up with new and inventive recipes that everyone will like, without feeling like we're all eating off the kids menu. The other night at dinner, Hadley asked for a cookie. She could see I was about to launch into my usual speech about finishing your dinner, she stopped me. "Mommy, pwease don't say no. It hurts my feelings". I did say no, although it was really hard with such a sweet argument. She is obsessed with dipping her food. It doesn't really matter what it is. Hummus and Tzaitki sauce are her favorite, but sometimes she asks for salsa too ("da spicy kind, mommy"). I find she'll eat almost anything if she has something to dip it in. For the most part, my kids are pretty good eaters so I really can't complain.

I'm always amazed at kids' ability to go from asleep to instantly wide awake and full of energy. There's no transition period. When their clocks turn green in the morning, I literally hear their feet hit the floor with a thud and they begin joyfully racing around the halls, excitedly chatting and making their way toward my room (did I mention their clocks turn green at 6:45am? the only downside of an early bedtime). They begin asking about our plans for the day, what's for breakfast, can they watch cartoons, etc, etc. I try to burrow under the covers, but my attempts are futile. Hadley asked "Mommy, can you please take your head out? Wy is asking you a question." I guess so...  Hadley has been getting up even earlier. She's been wandering into our room in the wee hours of the morning and staring us down while we sleep. I usually play possum and pretend I don't know in the hopes that she'll go back to bed. On more than one occasion, Dayven has found her lying on the floor in Wyatt's room at 5am. She pretty much dropped her afternoon nap with the arrival of the big girl bed. It has opened up a world of new possibilities in terms of afternoon outings and playdates, but it also means no "quiet time" for mommy. No rest for the weary!

Before I had kids, I had heard stories from friends about what moms did - sneaking into the garage to eat donuts so they wouldn't have to share with their kids, hiding in the pantry to talk on the phone - and thought who are these crazy people? Now that I'm in the Mom Club, these crazy tales make perfect sense to me.

Just when I think there is no hope for them, they go and do something totally sweet to redeem themselves. The other day, I saw Wyatt sitting on the couch, cradling Hadley in his arms. He was kind of leaning over and tickling/nuzzling her and she was giggling. She said "I love to get hugs AND kisses, Wy" and he leaned down and kissed her. It was just so innocent and real, they had no idea I was even watching them. I was frozen in the moment, trying to memorize every bit of it. It was so moving it almost brought me to tears. I knew if I raced to get the video camera, I'd miss what was left of the moment, and there wasn't a shot it would be recreated anyway. I love the sweet little conversations they have when they think no one is listening. They've been playing so great together lately. They really are best friends. It's the sweet little moments like this that make up for all the rest of it, right? Yes, I'm tired, but life is good!