A Mild Rant and Other Things.........

I don't complain much in here.  I don't like to complain, and who out there really wants to hear it?  But boy, am I frustrated today!  Sometimes I swear I feel so used, abused and worthless!  Thomas is working this morning, but I didn't have to.  The kids started out the morning just fine because they were busy watching TV or playing video games or whatever.  I gave them the morning off.  They didn't have to do any chores until the afternoon. 

Eler Beth had a little friend from down the street spending the night and this is one of those best-friends-love-hate-relationships.  They get along fine, then the bickering starts or this little girl (who doesn't have the happiest of family lives) starts getting jealous of my daughter and starts acting out.  She also has a little crush on Andrew, so sometimes Eler Beth starts getting jealous and possessive of her big brother if Andrew pays any attention to her friend.

Well the bickering started and Eler Beth threw a little temper hissy fit, and now I've sent the friend home and told the kids to get their chores done.  I don't know what Andrew's problem is, but now he's got an attitude and instead of ignoring Eler Beth's taunts he's reacting which is making it worse. 

I've decided to throw myself a little pity party.  Do I work 40+ hours every week outside of the home?  Yes!  Do I provide tasty meals every day, send the kids off to school each day fed, clean, healthy, in clean clothes (that I've washed, dried and put away), with homework that I've checked and sometimes stayed up way past my bedtime to help with?  Yes!  Do I feed and water their animals in the mornings on school days so that they don't have that extra responsibility in the mornings?  Yes!  Do I drive them to school functions, practices, friends houses, loan them a few extra dollars when their allowance savings is just short of the purchase price of whatever it is that they just have to have, drive them to the store to make the purchase in the first place?  Yes!  Do I require minimal (when compared to total household chores) work from them weekly?  Yes!  Do I deserve a Saturday where I can escape for a few hours into whatever pasttime takes my fancy, whether it be reading, journaling, watching a movie?  Yes!  Have they let me have that peace today?  No! 

I see unhappy, grounded kids for the rest of the weekend if attitudes, tones and facial expressions don't improve!  They have a certain amount of time today to get their rooms cleaned, Saturday chores done and attitudes straightened up.   And when dad gets home I'm so going to enjoy pouring out my woes into his ear.  (He always makes me feel better!) 

Well, this was a pitiful little rant, wasn't it?  But I do feel better, so I'm going for now.  I'm looking for a certain book on eBay, so I'm going to go do that right now.