floridamcmarion1
07-25-2004, 02:14 PM
OK guys......time to vent. It's either that or I start stringing the kids from the rafters, so I think I'll vent.
My wife and daughter have been gone since Thursday night. That left me alone with my 3 1/2 y/o son, 9 y/o son and 5 m/o granddaughter. That is not normally a problem, but this weekend it has been pure torture.
My granddaughter has been fighting sleeping in her crib (her mom gives in quickly and sleeps with her in her bed. I used to work in a funeral home and have buried a baby whose mother slept with her in her bed, so I will never do that and she has to sleep in her crib if I am on night duty) She has been keeping me up until about 3AM every night. My boys are in the next room, and have been LOUDLY waking up at about 6:30AM each morning. I go tell them to be quiet and explain the problem, but within 2 minutes they are doing it again. After 3 or 4 times they wake up the baby and she is then ready to eat. She will nap on and off all day, so for her the lost sleep is no big deal. My boys have also been fighting like wild banshees all weekend, and repeatedly not listening to me or following the rules. Nothing is helping. They are simply having one of those weekends, but it happens to fall when I am alone and also watching the baby. They are normally pretty well behaved, but this just happens to be one of their bad weekends.
I had arranged last weekend for a babysitter to come last night around 4PM so I could go to dinner alone before going to a program at the retreat where my wife and daughter are, planning to get home around 10PM. I figured it would be nice to get a break away, plus the program was not a kid friendly sort of thing. Well.........you guessed it.......the sitter didn't show up and I couldn't get her on the phone. Not only that, but none of my sitters answered the phone in my frantic attempts to get a backup. I dropped my plans for my quiet time before the program, but I had to go to the program. My original sitter called my cell phone just as I was pulling into the parking lot of the retreat. Too late by then. She had forgotten, which was very unusual for her because she is one of the most responsible people I know. At the introduction to the program I was told I could not bring the kids in, which would mean I would miss the whole thing. Thankfully a nice woman volunteered to watch them and miss the program herself since she was a retreat worker and didn't have anyone actually at the retreat. I got the kids home and in bed over 3 hours past their bedtime. The baby refused to go to sleep until almost 5AM this morning. The boys still woke me up at 7AM. After 4 trips to try and get them to be quiet I finally gave up and got up myself. They are on limited restrictions today, not to mention having a VERY grumpy father who isn't tolerating anything today, but that still means I am operating on pretty much no sleep. The baby is still asleep at 10AM and her father will be here soon to get her for a week. My wife and daughter will be home about 6PM tonight. I have to take the boys to pick them up, because I have not been able to get a sitter for that time. My older son is acting like a very frightened prince this morning, but my younger son keeps trying to see which buttons he can push. I think I can make it until my wife gets back............the only question is how many kids I'll have left when she gets home. :evil:
I now hear my granddaughter waking up. Must be time for breakfast. I feel a little better now. Thanks for the listen guys!
My wife and daughter have been gone since Thursday night. That left me alone with my 3 1/2 y/o son, 9 y/o son and 5 m/o granddaughter. That is not normally a problem, but this weekend it has been pure torture.
My granddaughter has been fighting sleeping in her crib (her mom gives in quickly and sleeps with her in her bed. I used to work in a funeral home and have buried a baby whose mother slept with her in her bed, so I will never do that and she has to sleep in her crib if I am on night duty) She has been keeping me up until about 3AM every night. My boys are in the next room, and have been LOUDLY waking up at about 6:30AM each morning. I go tell them to be quiet and explain the problem, but within 2 minutes they are doing it again. After 3 or 4 times they wake up the baby and she is then ready to eat. She will nap on and off all day, so for her the lost sleep is no big deal. My boys have also been fighting like wild banshees all weekend, and repeatedly not listening to me or following the rules. Nothing is helping. They are simply having one of those weekends, but it happens to fall when I am alone and also watching the baby. They are normally pretty well behaved, but this just happens to be one of their bad weekends.
I had arranged last weekend for a babysitter to come last night around 4PM so I could go to dinner alone before going to a program at the retreat where my wife and daughter are, planning to get home around 10PM. I figured it would be nice to get a break away, plus the program was not a kid friendly sort of thing. Well.........you guessed it.......the sitter didn't show up and I couldn't get her on the phone. Not only that, but none of my sitters answered the phone in my frantic attempts to get a backup. I dropped my plans for my quiet time before the program, but I had to go to the program. My original sitter called my cell phone just as I was pulling into the parking lot of the retreat. Too late by then. She had forgotten, which was very unusual for her because she is one of the most responsible people I know. At the introduction to the program I was told I could not bring the kids in, which would mean I would miss the whole thing. Thankfully a nice woman volunteered to watch them and miss the program herself since she was a retreat worker and didn't have anyone actually at the retreat. I got the kids home and in bed over 3 hours past their bedtime. The baby refused to go to sleep until almost 5AM this morning. The boys still woke me up at 7AM. After 4 trips to try and get them to be quiet I finally gave up and got up myself. They are on limited restrictions today, not to mention having a VERY grumpy father who isn't tolerating anything today, but that still means I am operating on pretty much no sleep. The baby is still asleep at 10AM and her father will be here soon to get her for a week. My wife and daughter will be home about 6PM tonight. I have to take the boys to pick them up, because I have not been able to get a sitter for that time. My older son is acting like a very frightened prince this morning, but my younger son keeps trying to see which buttons he can push. I think I can make it until my wife gets back............the only question is how many kids I'll have left when she gets home. :evil:
I now hear my granddaughter waking up. Must be time for breakfast. I feel a little better now. Thanks for the listen guys!