"Mommy! There's POOP in the bathtub!"

Yes, I said it... POOP.

My 221/2 month old has been constipated.  She's cutting molars.  She doesn't get the runny teething poo - she gets all blocked up.

I've tried apples, fiber bars (borderline mean-mommy), citrus, you name it.  So, I started using Epsom Salt baths.

SUCCESS!

While Ava is on the "Epsom Treatment", she can't have baths with her big sister. 

Tonight, I wasn't paying attention.  Hannah decided that baby sister was having a bath, so she should too!

When I realized Hannah was in the bath with Ava, I told Hannah about the "Epson Treatment".  She didn't care - I don't think she quite realized what could happen...

20 minutes later, Hannah comes running out of the bathroom screaming, "Mommy!  There's Poop in the bathtub!!"

After I stopped laughing, it hit me.  What about the bath toys?  Ava's still in that water! Eeeewwwww!

Hannah told me she saw her sissy "grunting" a little so she got out.  "And sure enough, Mommy, she pooped!"

So, after I got the toys out (there were only 2) and put aside to clean (NOT a fun job), I pulled Ava out and bleached the tub.  Then I put her back in and washed her up good.  She was flying high as a kite!  Her belly must have felt like brand new!!

I got Hannah back in the tub and washed her up and finished our bedtime routine.

My week wasn't complete without POOP in the bathtub!

Sleep? What's that?!

Am I tired?

Of course I'm tired... I'm always tired.

From the age of 18, right out of high school, I had a great job.  7 - 5, full benefits, the whole she-bang.  I could've gone anywhere... then I got laid off 2 years later.  My next job I held for 7 years and I left that one for a "better opportunity" somewhere else.  2 years later, I was laid off (at least they severanced me), and another year and a half after THAT, here I am.

In those years, I'd gotten engaged, turned 21 (fun times), gotten married, lost friends, gained many new friends, built a house, had 2 awesome children.

Right now, I stay at home with my girls, patiently waiting for them to both be in school full time so I can go and get a "fun" part-time job somewhere.

Why am I SO tired?

I don't work.

I can sleep when I want to.

I can stay up as late as I want and sleep till the kids get up.

{Insert big game-show LOSER buzzer}

I DO WORK.  30 hours a day, 8 days a week, 6 weeks a month, 14 months a year - without pay.  Well, monetary pay.

I can't sleep when I want to - I might miss a smile, or the baby's new word.  I might miss a teaching moment with my preschooler. 

I can stay up late and sleep till the kids get up, but then I'd be rushed all day.  And with me, rushed = GRUMPY!!

The thing is, I am tired.  But being a mom is tiresome.  Last night my preschooler was up with the flu all night - from midnight to 4 AM.  Then 5 AM, then 6 AM.  My girls share a bedroom, so my baby thought it was time to wake up and rock & roll.  So, I sat in their room and helped my big girl while she was sick.  Inbetween, I was on their bedroom floor, watching the baby in her crib, while she played the Fisher Price Fish Aquarium over... and over... and over.

If I made the slightest move to leave the room, she screamed.  And I mean SCREAMED!!  So, to keep the peace and allow my husband (who does get up very early every morning for a paying job) and my big girl to get some sleep, I sat there.  Awake.  The. Whole. Time.

Around 4 AM, the baby fell asleep.  Then my big girl got sick again.  So, it was after 5 o'clock before I went to bed.  The kids were up for the day at 8. 

Yeah. 

Tired.

But, days like that are long, and tiresome.  I feel so bad for my kids - one is sick.  One is over tired.  And Mama is walking around in circles, cross-eyed. 

How in the world did I ever do this, even for a minute, while holding down a job???

But looking at it from another angle, How in the world did I ever hold down a job, and still manage to get through nights like this - effectively??

We adapt.  We change.  We grow.  We do what needs to be done and we don't think twice about it.  It's hard sometimes, and thankless.  Not unrewarding.  Thankless.

And, we're tired??  What's wrong with us?!

I'll tell you - nothing is.  It's natural, it's normal.  And yet, God always manages to give us the strength and alertness when we need it.  He gives us rest when we need it. 

And just when it seems it will never end, my daughter looks at me and says, "Mommy, I love you.  Thank you for taking care of me and washing my hair and face after a night like that!"  And the baby comes up to me and says, "Go. Mommy.  Eye-yub-ooooh".

So worth it.

Tangled? Life can be a lot like hair...

Tangles.


Snarles.


Rat's Nest. 


Our favorite in this house is Nappy Hair. 

My (almost) 5 year old daugther will ask me while I'm brushing her hair, "Momma, do I have Nappy Hair today?"  To which I'll answer, "Yeah, a little, but I'll be gentle and get the naps out so your hair is smooth and beautiful!" 

Whatever you call them, they're no fun!  Not only do they look horrible , but they hurt when you pull them out!  We have our share of tangles in this house with 3 girls, all with long hair (the baby's hair is getting there). 

We also have our share of tangles - - in life.

Everyone does.

The tricky part is getting them out, and knowing how pretty you want to be when they're gone.

While I was little, my tangles seemed mountainous.  My parents were my hairbrush; in that they were always there to help me through them. 

As a teenager, my tangles still seemed mountainous.  My friends, and my parents were again there to help me through them.

Now, as an adult, sometimes my tangles still seem mountainous.  And as a wife and mother, I not only have my tangles, but my husband's and my daughter's tangles to brush out too.  What kind of hairbrush I'll be depends on the tangle.

I prefer the soft bristled, massaging type of hairbrush. 

Sometimes, I have to be brillo-like and rip the tangles out.  Some tangles are just too big and I have to cut them out with scissors.  Hopefully they don't leave a short clump of hair that everyone can see.

Tangles or troubles, we like to appear put together to everyone we see and everyone we meet.  Unfortunately, sometimes the tangles that we cut or rip are visible to others.  Sometimes, we look at someone else and see many tangle scars.  Sometimes we see none. 

But I guarantee they're there.

Everyone has or has had tangles of some sort.  Some people do a great job at brushing them out, while others don't.  At times, we need another person to brush them out for us.  Sometimes, we don't see our tangles and others will point them out.  Hopefully, they'll be gentle with us so we can be "smooth and beautiful" again.

Either way, I am hoping to teach my girls to be good hairdressers for life.  Gentle with themselves and gentle with others.  It's a skill that took me a long time to hone in on, and I'm still learning.


So, when life resembles your hair, go find your perfect hairbrush. 

If you can't find it, you can borrow mine anytime.