A Case of the Mondays.....

And I seem to have it!

Things I've learned and/or remembered today:

• it isn't always good when your kids share with you (See earlier post for explanation)
• little girls who are quiet in their room too long are bound to get into trouble (Tatum apparently decided to express herself artistically this afternoon instead of napping...her bed, her walls (discovered at about 3PM this afternoon) and as I just found out, her brothers new build-a-bear monkey. I was sure I had crayon-proofed her room! And if you're wondering, antibacterial dishwashing soap and a damp washcloth seem to be able to get crayon out of monkeys.)
• kids (seem to) learn their lesson when they are made to clean up their own messes (hello magic eraser...Tatum made short work of her wall and bed masterpieces with your help. Thank you.)
• you can't physically force a kid to eat, and it's too stressful to try (have been learning this one for a while)
• the poop of breast fed babies is almost miraculous...it defies gravity, seeps through the thickest of diapers, and soaks anything it comes into contact with. Scientists should study its properties and I can supply them with their research data.
• Jacey seems to be settling into a poop pattern...the bomb explodes at roughly 7PM. When it does, watch out! And the washing machine had better be empty at the time to deal with the aftermath.
• Matt can take apart the fabric on the bouncy and on the swing very quickly (see the above bullet for why I found that out) Oh, and this one I learned last night.
• Kellen is a most caring big brother and will make up a song on the spot to try and soothe his screaming sister.
• Jacey screams bloody murder if, when getting her dressed, you put lotion on her body and it isn't the correct temperature and/or you don't clothe her quickly enough.
• Jacey is now starting to take the paci from the hospital as well as (the new development) nuk paci's. This is good because I have quite the stock of nuk paci's for her, as I was just so sure she would take them and them alone, just like her older siblings.
• You can truly dread something that you know is the right thing, even after going through similar scenarios twice before. (Jacey starts her day care tomorrow, so pardon me while I grab a box of tissues)
• Virtually none of the above scenarios are good when you have a migraine.
• My migraines, while nice to me during pregnancy, are now coming back to greet me. For some reason, they seem to be carrying a grudge against me....perhaps they're trying to show me how much they missed me?

But as all three kids are settling into bed shortly before 8 PM, I also realize that:

• Tatum is incredibly upset if she thinks she'll fall asleep without someone saying night-night prayers with her
• My kids still love snuggles before bedtime and still want me to tuck them into bed
• Kellen is very thoughtful about helping without being asked, and eager to help when asked

And I'll take that any day of the week.