Loop Holes

Tonight was rather challenging.  This morning I was up at 3am with Christian, who never fell back asleep.  After taking the kids to school I spent the whole day cleaning, and although the results of my efforts were extremely gratifying, by the time I picked up the kids I was beyond exhausted.  It became quickly apparent that the kids were at the ends of their ropes as well and I was basically just in survivor mode until dinner time.

Although Christian was tired he was behaving pretty well.  Tessie, on the other hand, was pushing my buttons as hard as she could.  Every little thing with her this evening was a battle.  She didn’t want to eat, she wanted ice cream, she didn’t want to take a bath, she wanted to play, she didn’t want me to wash her hair, it went on and on.  Every five minutes there was some new tragedy ending her world.  The screaming and whining was slowly killing me. 

She found a loop hole around everything I asked her to do, usually by means of her dad who wasn’t aware of the law I had just laid down until he was masterfully swayed into breaking it.  When it was finally time for Nick to read them books I escaped to the living room with a glass of wine and collapsed on the couch. 

Our routine every night is that after Nick reads books, usually only two but tonight Tes somehow got three, I come in to tuck them in.  I always tell Tessie one story and sing her one song.  Thankfully she didn’t put up any fight about going to bed.  I turned off the light after singing to her and bent down to kiss her goodnight.  A sudden wave of love came out of nowhere and hit me so hard it took my breath away. 

I love this crazy, maddening, makes-me-want-to-pull-my-hair-out girl so much it’s beyond words.  And even though I wanted to strangle her for most of the evening, just then I couldn’t take my face away from where it was, snuggled in her damp hair.  I kissed her on her forehead about ten times and said “Even when I’m really mad I still love you, do you know that?”  She sighed and said in an almost teenage tone, “I know mom.”  I guess she found one more loop hole, she wasn’t going to let me go to bed without remembering that she owns my heart.  What a beautiful little sneak. 

Who wouldn't fall for this?