Holy Week

Today was not a good day, parenting-wise.  I mean, things started out pretty good (aside from ALL the kids waking up way to early) - I got the snow gear together and let the kids play outside for a while.

 

Although to them that really just means lie down in the snow and eat as much of it as possible. They spent the first 20 minutes on the steps just shoveling it into their mouths...

 

 

Cecilia got tired of it once her mittens fell off (seriously, how do we get those things to stay on???), but John Paul wanted to stay out for as long as possible.  And he was doing his stupid potty dance.  Because he likes to hold it for as. long. as. possible. and then RUN to the bathroom to do his thing.

 

But you know what makes that not work?  Being outside in a whole bunch of snow gear.

 

So half an hour later, he was crying outside because he had peed in his snow stuff.  And didn't get to play in the snow anymore, duh.  And of course it was all melted by the time his things got washed and dried.

 

So I was trying to entertain the kids in any other way while also trying to get Mary Claire and Elizabeth to sleep, which they refused to do for more than 20-30 minutes at a time.  And NEVER simultaneously.  And our swing just broke and can't be repaired so I couldn't even put a drowsy baby in that and let it do the work for me.  And it's the first day of spring break.  "Break."  Yeah, this is not a break for me!!!

 

Lack of sleep (my own) + lack of sleep (babies) + toddlers trying to get on my last nerve (refusing to put on underwear, climbing on every table, shrieking in the shrillest voice possible at all times, climbing onto the kitchen counter to get ALL the goldfish, ripping up an entire Curious George book, you get it) = seriously angry parent.  And the yelling starts, and I feel like I have no control over my children and that I'm doing them a huge disservice by having so many of them at once...

 

Somehow things calmed down by the time dinnertime rolled around, and thank goodness.  Because Andrew's got extra rehearsals all week and has to leave early, but we decided to give the big kids a *super* early bath and let them play for a while before bed, which means the babies were swaddled and nursing by 6:15, a full hour earlier than normal (don't worry, they still didn't settle down until 9).

 

With Andrew gone, I decided that I'd find a youtube video of the sorrowful mysteries because the kids have been sort of praying the rosary all day (we just got two new chunky bead rosaries for the twins but John Paul & Cecilia have stolen them for themselves) and they were SO good.  John Paul was his normal obsessive self, trying to mimic Our Lady of Fatima and getting upset that we can't pray the glorious mysteries yet.  But he was still REALLY good (as he always is when we pray the rosary - kid LOVES to pray!), and Cecilia was actually pretty good too - she tried praying for a while and then went off to read quietly by herself and would come back and pray periodically.  And she shoved John Paul away from the computer and yelled at him, but when I explained that when she does that it hurts Jesus, she immediately started hugging John Paul and holding his hand and said that would be so nice for Jesus. 

 

So my discipline may need to take a different turn...  I forget to explain the kids that when they hurt each other, when they disobey, when they are disrespectful that they're hurting Jesus.  Sure they haven't yet reached the age of reason, but they absolutely understand misbehavior in those terms.  And while they don't seem to care how Andrew or I feel, they desperately don't want to hurt Jesus!

 

My Holy Week challenge is going to be to remind myself (and the kids) of this is often as possible.  Because while they don't care yet that they're hurting me or each other, they are so motivated by their love of Jesus that maybe these reminders will help us all have a better week!

 

P.S. The day wasn't totally awful...  I remembered my old tummy time strategy with John Paul and Cecilia and tried it out with the twins - Elizabeth LOVED it!  And while I hate giving her tummy time because I don't want her to get mobile ever, it was the only thing that calmed her down.

 

 

 

Mary Claire, on the other hand...  Well, let's just say we'll be steering her away from any frat parties, since she seems to be a little too ready for them right now...