Exhaustion...has...set...in

I tell you, I used to be one of those people who would tell you that I require about 9 hours of sleep to get by. I LOVE to sleep. But, then I had kids. I began to get by on 6 hours consistently. I guess now I'm back up to around 7 hours because most nights, both of the kids sleep through the night. But I am usually so thoroughly exhausted by the time they go to bed that all I can do is sit and watch T.V. The really sad thing is that I realize that I would be better off going to bed early, but once I sit, I can't get myself roused to make it upstairs. Plus, I feel that I need some adult time and some "unwind" time. All this adds up to my being really tired all the time. And being tired makes me cranky. I'm not scared to admit that. I'm sure that Corin would heartily agree. I don't like to be cranky. It makes me feel like a bad mother and a bad wife. And I overreact a lot.

I know you are worn out from hearing me go on about potty training. Believe me - I'm worn out from living it. That little daughter of mine is just the most stubborn child I've ever known. We have issues with her trying to retain control, so she refuses to go No.2 in the potty. We have issues with her milking the system, so she says she has to pee about 2 minutes after she got done peeing (usually this coincides with the disappearance of the skittle that she got as a reward for peeing the first time). But, you can't refuse to take her - even if you know she's just in it for the skittle - because you are so afraid that she'll have an accident and upset the whole course of your day. It is enough to make me insane. And I have to admit it might be doing just that.

So, if the next time you see me, I have giant bags under my eyes, I seem a little loopy, and I also appear to be a bit cranky, please cut me some slack. It is not personal. I promise I am trying to get back to my old delightful self. :-) It just may take me a while. This motherhood thing -- as rewarding as it is -- sure does take a toll.

Reminder: It wasn't that long ago that all my posts were about the Great Furniture Reorganization of 2008. I finally stopped talking about that, so you can rest assured that there is also some end to the potty training obsession (please, please, please) just around the corner. Then, I'll no doubt move on to something else I'll beat like a dead horse...