A bunch of grapes, a banana (traced, I believe, from a real banana), and an orange, all drawn by Maia after dinner last night on the dirty kitchen floor, underfoot, while Harry did the dishes and I put Daphne to bed. She used markers, which remain her favorite, despite sporadic attempts on my part to encourage the use of crayons and pastels.
I want to say this has been a crazy week, but when I sit down and think about it, it hasn't been all that out of the ordinary. I feel like I'm barely treading water though. Certainly not getting anything done. I threw away my "to do" list because it was painful to look at. Every day I'd get to the dishes and laundry and not much else, yet still fall into bed exhausted.
Daphne's been sick, which is part of it of course. And we've been looking at schools for Maia for next year, which has been a bit overwhelming.
Speaking of Maia, why is it that someone you love so much can also completely exasperate you? This kid of mine has so much energy, so much enthusiasm, so much, so much, so much! She's completely loving and lovable but also seems hard-wired to test every boundary and push every limit. She doesn't sit still and doesn't shut up. And some days (make that many days) I just can't keep up. Both my parenting and my coping skills are lacking.
Her pediatrician recommended I read a book about parenting a strong-willed child and I'm wondering if any of you have experience with any of these? I never knew there were so many on the subject!
