Being a Mom

There are times when it's easier to be a mom than when it's not. The easy times are for playing FishVille, movie nights, watching episodes of Phineas and Ferb, and giving baths. The hard times are piano practicing, dinner times when you can't convince Asa to eat anything, endless repetition of the same episode of "Boots," Xandri telling you that she didn't do her math, or that she needs to read a book, or that she has lost her home reading book, all after the magic number of 8 pm when she's in her jammies and supposed to be in bed...

Of course these always happen on my Adventures in Mothering nights. These rarely happen on the nights when John is home. Magically, when John is home, the children behave like angels. Jack and Max retire to their room (where Jack seems to magically confine Max to his bed, I think). There isn't sound proofing in the floor, so I know he doesn't hog-tie him, and there's no seat belt... Max does seem to quickly drop off to sleep. Now, in Asa and Xandri's room, it takes much, much longer for sleep to happen, which means it never happens anywhere near 8pm.

All in all, I must say that if there were awards for mothering, I won't be getting any. However, I think I should be going to rewards for piano playing, room cleaning, dinner-eating, and homework-performing. I think I'd get somewhere. I was investigating what was in the bottom of my closet this morning looking for my shoes (to  match my clothes, you know), and I found a red cowboy hat that I thought would look ideal on Asa's head, and some Tinker Bell  stickers that I thought Xandri might like... Bribery I think might work. I might go looking for what else I have stashed in the closet. I think there's another book in there for Xan and I remember buying Cars stickers for Asa. 7 days of piano lessons for both of them a week...