I ♥ Naptime- Sometimes

Yes, my 5 year old girls still nap.  EVERY day.  For TWO hours!  Believe me, NONE of my older 3 did this, nor did I NEED them to nap in the same way I need nap time now!  I do have to say though, our house does SHUT DOWN at 2pm on the nose each and every day. I make the older kids read in their rooms, or finish up school.  I close my door and hide sleep catch up on whatever I need to.  No one comes to my door unless there is blood involved.  And why would there be if they are doing what they are supposed to be doing?  Which is reading/resting/sleeping.  Some might say we are actually fanatic about nap time.  We do nothing from 2-4pm no matter what.  The very few times we did, we paid.  Because there is a certain someone in the house who begins to melt at exactly 1:55 PM.  Literally.  And if you have been around her you totally get why our lives revolve around nap time. 

Sadly, one of the 2 5 year olds is slowly giving up her nap.  Which thankfully is the one who it is OK to give up naps.  I try, and she tries, but I know she is really about done.  (which I find SO odd really, wouldn't we adults ALL enjoy being told to rest for 2 hours EVERY DAY!??)  As I went in her closet yesterday, this is what I found.

 Sage loves her barbies and if she is not going to nap, playing quietly in your closet is just fine. Even if you are hanging barbies! I actually thought this was quite creative!

On the other hand, Ms Mavery NEEDS nap time.  WE need Maverys nap time.  She takes awhile to settle down but she does sleep every day.   I thought that settling down was just the singing in her bed thing I heard.  But obviously not.

 Interesting enough, her teacher just that day had asked me if I had alot of art on my walls because Mavery had colored on her rug.  EEK! And it gets better.

 If I home schooled her, I would have sworn she sat in on our lesson of hieroglyphics we just had.  Throw in some stickers all over the bed and you have quite the art studio wouldn't you agree?  Maverys answer?  " It was an accident, I didn't mean to".  I hear this at least 391 times a day.  

And this poor Barbie?  I have no idea because "It was an accident, I didn't mean to!"   That is all I got.

It has been a rough, VERY rough few weeks.  I have no idea what is going on.  Is it the time change? Is it the weather change?  Is it Mommy is stressed and crabby more than usual change?  Is it the missing a few weeks of therapy change?  (which makes no sense because how can 45 minutes of therapy once a week REALLY be THAT helpful??)
I picked the girls up from preschool one day (the drawing on the rug day) and the teacher said "I do not even know what to say, or how to explain her behavior today".  And I simply wanted to kiss her and say WELCOME TO MY LIFE! I am so glad someone gets to see a glimpse of it!
To top it off, we were at my inlaws over the weekend.  It had been a bad day, following a bad few weeks. We were having dinner and Mavery put her hand through their china cabinet. Shattered the glass.  Only by Gods grace did she manage to do this with out cutting her self up. One small tiny cut that was it. 

I sure wish I was like all the other blogs I read that seem to have everything perfect.  Perfectly happy kids with a perfectly happy mommy who probably doesn't even need naptime because she is so calm and happy with her kids.  The ones who never have meltdowns or throw fits or ruin a perfectly good day because they have an attitude.   The ones who seem to adore their children every second of every day and never need a break from them. 

I am not that blog.  Or that mom.  And I guarantee you those are not my kids.  I love my children, I really do.  But I do not like attitudes.  I do not like my walls being colored on after I have told you not to do that 529 times. I do not like whining and hearing about what your sister got and you did not. I do not like fighting with your siblings.  I do not like dirty socks left in the van, in my bed, on the stairs, or on the table thank you very much.  Sometimes I don't even like doing 10 loads of laundry a week or washing dishes 3 times a day or going to walmart every stinken day!   I certainly don't like having to repeat myself.  "Stop it.  Listen.  Come here now. Stop it. Listen. Come here.  DID YOU HEAR ME??? Stop it NOW.  LISTEN. GET OVER HERE BEFORE I LOSE IT.  Stop it." 

This is my reality.  I have been reminding myself about this roller coaster ride of life I am on.  Just when I think we are hanging on, almost to the end of the ride, we start back up that hill again.  And many days, I want to be on that one coaster, you know the one that goes backwards.  I want a rewind! I do NOT want to start over, I don't want to climb up a hill, I just want to coast along.  But for whatever reason the Lord just straps me in TIGHT and tells me to keep going.  

So while we hang on and continue to ride out this roller coaster, I think I will continue to enjoy nap time every day with my door shut! But I think I will make sure all crayons are GONE!