parenting by trial & error

My kids are really stressed out.

Tonight was full of meltdowns from the place where the brimstone burns bright (if you catch my drift). Part of it was my fault because I let the kids play outside until dark, around 10:00 p.m., which is WAY past their normal bed times.

In my defense, it was the girls’ last day of school and it was so nice out, I hated to make them come in. Instead, I let them stay out and enjoy it.

The meltdowns began soon after dark with a fight between the girls, which trickled down to the boys, over who would sleep where. I recently put a queen bed in Logan’s room to replace the toddler bed he had. Now, of course, everyone wants to sleep on the queen bed. Cody and Logan have been sleeping on it all week together, and now that the girls are out of school, they’re allowed to sleep in there too.

So there was a big to-do over which girl would sleep in Logan’s room because Rachel refused to sleep in the same room as Andie. Cody was whining about the scrapes and cuts on his knees, Logan was singing and humming as usual, Rachel was crying and talking in one of those hysterically-pitched tones that just grates on your nerves, and Andie was arguing with both Rachel and me. I was about ready to tear my hair out by that time.

Finally, we got it all figured out and I tucked them all in to bed in Logan’s room. Of course, there were a couple more final appearances downstairs, which always happens when it’s already late.

Aargh.

Time to relax, even though it’s just about my bedtime now!

What drives you crazy about the evening routine?

While cleaning my room today, I ran across some bottles of essential oil in a variety of scents. I opened one to smell it. A couple minutes later, Cody walked in and said, “Wow, it smells lovely in here!”

Why is it these days that so many people are more concerned with their romantic relationships than they are with keeping their families together? Why is the thought of shattering their kids’ lives not enough to make some people reconsider their actions? (These are, of course, rhetorical questions.)

And on that depressing note, I’ll sign off.

I set up email accounts for Rachel and Andrea a couple weeks ago. They’re almost 10, and I figured they should be able to send their friends and family emails. (If you haven’t checked out Windows Live’s free Family Safety program, you really should!)

They’ve been having a blast emailing everyone they know. Andie has emailed me quite a bit, telling me how much she loves me and that I’m the best mom ever. I always email her back, and try to remember to send both the girls a short message even if they haven’t written. 

So, I was thinking today that these emails I write are sort of the equivalent of the little notes that our moms tucked into our metal lunch boxes, right? Whoa. That’s a weird thought. The two seem so unbelievably unconnected.

This sort of correlates to my post on becoming antiquated. It’s another one of those now-commonplace parts of our lives that makes me feel a little on the *old* side.

Next thing I know, I’ll be texting my kids.

Makes me wonder what technology will be like when my children have kids of their own.

Does technology ever make you feel like you arrived fresh from the Stone Age?