Sleeping Beauty

So sorry that I have been MIA - I typically post daily - and it has been FIVE days since you have heard from me. 

Let's be honest.  I am exhausted....My kids are wearing me thin - hitting, pushing, screaming, throwing things - the time out corner stays pretty warm  (although I do seem to smile nearly all the time and love them to pieces)...

Anywho, putting Meredith to bed is D-R-A-I-N-I-N-G! 
She has gotten the whole screaming thing down.   

And to not disturb my good older child or my nerddy studious husband, I lay down with her...rub her back....give her cuddles. 

I know I shouldn't do this. 

I didn't do it with Lucas. 

I trained him to sleep in his own bed with no troubles.
 
But for some reason, I CAN NOT do it with Mere. 

So back to the REAL problem.  I lay down with Meredith. 

We have just finished reading bedtime stories.  The room is dark.  Meredith's breath slows.  I close my eyes to capture the memory of the moment.

The next thing I know, it is 10 pm (We put our kids to bed at 7 pm) and my back is incredibly sore from scrunching up in a toddler bed.

Most nights, I sleepily stumble to my own bed and call it a night. 

And in the morning I wake up in a cranky mood from too much sleep and a dirty kitchen because I never ventured back downstairs to clean up from dinner. 

If you want to ensure your day goes well, you MUST start out with a clean kitchen.  It is a rule....in the book of life. 

Okay, maybe just my life. 

I do hope you forgive me for sleeping....

I really do have lots to share.  I just forget about it all once the lights go out.

(By the way, tonight we implimented a new plan, where I go for a walk after storytime, so Rich could tell Mere that I wasn't here without lying, and he could put her to bed without such a fuss.  It worked for the most part.  We will keep at it since the weather is so wonderful, and it was great to have bonding time with my first child Dixie.)