Ahh...The Joys of Parenthood

I think our children know when our patience has worn thin, we are extremely tired, and just can't handle anything happening and this is when they spring their attack on us. The last two nights have been those nights. The home teachers came over last night and shared a lovely message on Finding Joy in the Journey and all about how we should enjoy everyday because one day we will look back and remember these times as the happiest in our lives. While trying to share this message Erika was throwing the BIGGEST tantrum upstairs screaming at the top of her lungs legs and arms thrashing everywhere. It was amazing...then she comes downstairs after Dad spanks her and asks me ten times in a row if she can have candy...and why not...can she have apple juice...why not...etc etc. Then she decides she wants to say the closing prayer and in the middle of it she jumps off her chair and starts dancing and singing at the top of her lungs...oh man I was so ready for her to be in bed!

So the home teachers leave and we start getting ready for bed. Erika is fine now totally normal and well behaved. I put her to bed and then take my unisom and put myself to bed. Just a side note: With this pregnancy the baby is like sitting on my sciatic nerve and so randomly I will get these sharp pains in my back and I seriously can't move. Most nights once I lay down if I try to get back up before morning I get the same feeling and can barely walk.

So back to the story...after about 20 minutes Erika yells at me that she needs to go potty. So being the nice Mom I am I yell back saying "Okay go and then get RIGHT back in bed" After a couple minutes I hear a lot of unnecessary noise coming from the bathroom down the hall so once again I lay in bed and yell "Erika what are you doing get in bed" to which she replies "I'm cleaning hold on" (yeah lovely that she tells me to hold on...what a nice child) So flash back once more. Last time Erika told me she was "cleaning" she had taken her sippy cup full of milk and was splashing it all over her bed, bookshelves, toy box, etc and was wiping it in with one of her shirts. So her idea of cleaning is not really cleaning.

I immediately got out of bed and went into the bathroom to find her with the toilet brush cleaning out the toilet...with water EVERYWHERE and her hair and jammies SOAKING wet. I start screaming and yelling saying "Why is your hair wet...what water did you use" to which she looks up at me so lovingly and then points to the toilet water....BAH! I start screaming again and try to hold in the urge to throw up all over the floor. So disgusting...

So at 10 o'clock last night Erika got to have bath #2 for the night and get some fresh jammies on. She thought it was so cool that she got to take a bath again. How do you explain to a 2 year old that the water in the toilet is not for playing in...but the sink and tub are okay? Here's hoping that tonight nothing like this happens...I don't know how many more days I can go on like this without ripping my hair out!