Tired...

Ok, it's been almost a month since I posted. I have no new pictures because my camera broke and I am irritated that I have to pay to fix it - especially since I bought it just a year ago.

We've been to swimming lessons a lot .. they just got over on Friday (hallelujah!) We start another round the first week of August. Swimming lessons eat up a lot of the day and make Ellie totally thrown off on her nap. I'm glad they are over and that the weather is overcast. The kids have improved so much and Austin is a really good swimmer - Tyler can do it but still looks like he's drowning and McKell decides when she wants to swim and when she wants to scream on the side.

I've made a few observations over the past week or so:

1. I am supporting the economy by always running my washing machine. I always have a load of laundry to do...even when I think I've collected all the dirty clothes it never fails that I find a pair of the kids underwear, socks with BLACK feet, or all the church clothes bunched up with a half eaten piece of red licorice stuck on them.

2. I must really like to do dishes.

3. Three year olds make lots of messes...lots and lots... McKell seems to be in a super destructive mood. She gets into everything and breaks, dumps or smashes things. She always says, "Oops, sorry mommy". This morning it was her cereal and milk all over the floor (I'm sure there will be more as the day progresses) - right after I cleaned the kitchen, last week it was suntan lotion all over herself and the dog (the entire bottle), my make-up, twice - eyeliner all over the floor, dropped eyeshadow and powder so it crumbled every where. She dipped my blush brush in the lip gloss, so it's totally sticky and tried to put hairspray all over her hair, which resulted in some sort of mullet/hair plug look. She dumped cologne all over my side of the bed, broke three things at the garden center which we now have some terra cotta worm that is supposed to tell you when to water your plants but he's totally snapped in half - Austin tried to fix it by super gluing it and sticking it in a pot and she went by and snapped it again. I hope I survive her...

4. Feet and floors in summer are perpetually dirty. Our floors are horribly dirty all the time and so are the kids feet. We have started washing feet at night because they are so disgusting. Our floors are so bad (and I promise I wash and sweep them all the time) that Ellie has two permanent black marks on the tops of her feet from crawling all over the floor.

5. Taking four kids to ANY store isn't productive or helpful. Even if I have a list, it doesn't work well - I wind up with extra things I didn't know I bought (thank you McKell) and there are at least three trips to the bathroom - I usually have Austin take McKell and Tyler and it never fails, I can always hear McKell screaming as they are trying to drag her back to me b/c she wanted to play in the drinking fountain.

6. I have no patience. I try so hard to be patient and kind EVERY day and without fail, I get frustrated and lose it by mid-day. It's not really always my kids fault, I get frustrated at the situation and having no time/space to myself.

7. I get tired of making food. I love to cook but get tired and sad when I realize I do this three times a day, day in and day out. I would love to whip up some recipes I've been dying to make with more sophisticated ingredients. I know I would be met with, "This tastes disgusting" or "I not like it, I eat cereal" or gags and throw-ups on the plate.

8. I feel like my life sometimes is like the movie Groundhog Day. I do the same thing day in and day out - trying to throw in the mix an outing (which always goes much smoother in my mind) or some scholastically enriching activity (which I'm pulling teeth to get them to do).

And I just get tired.

Someday I'll open a book again, sleep all night, eat food that isn't cold or left overs from someone else's plate, and wear clothes without food or runny nose stains on them.

BUT...what do you expect with four little ones under 7. They are funny, energetic and imaginative. They are very confident and secure and know that they have lots of people that love them. I know that's the most important thing but I'm just tired.

I think it's a Large Coke and 2 apple pies day from McDonald's. And I'm off to Costco with the group...