frustrated

There are days like today when all I can say is I'm frustrated.  Frustrated with kids, babies, taking care of kids, potty training kids, changing diapers, feeding them lunches and snacks, and so on.  Especially the potty training part is what gets to me.  It is hard enough with your own kids but when you are trying to potty train someone else's kids that only come here during the week is just hard.  Right now I have two kids that are 2 and a half years old so the best time to get potty trained.  They both go in the toilet very nicely, problem is neither one of them ever lets me know they have to go so if I ever miss it, I'm out of luck and their pants are wet.  Luckily they haven't done number 2 in the underwear yet. :) And no matter what I try, the little boy keeps going out of the toilet/potty chair more than in it.

On top of having 6 kids under 4 all day today, one of them is a pretty crabby 10 month old baby.  I mean crying and fussing the whole time she's up unless I hold her.  She's been doing a little better lately and at least she has been eating baby food and drinking bottles very nicely for me.  Well, today after her mom leaves I am looking in the bag for baby food but nothing's there.  I call her to see what I should give the baby for lunch to which she says"Oh, we've been trying to get her off of baby food and just feed her whatever we eat."  I thought ok, I'll give it a try but of course just as I thought she had 3 tiny bites and she was done eating real food.  So on top of everything else today it just added to my frustration.  After lunch she was very crabby and I know she was hungry but since she won't eat anything I have there's nothing I can do.

I am just realizing every day how I'm ready to be done taking care of little ones.  I don't know how people can do it year after year, even after their own kids are grown and move out of the house.  I am at my limit now so I know this has to be my last year.  In a way it makes it more bearable when I have an awful day to think it's only for a little while longer.  I know it has been great for our kids to have playmates when they were toddlers/preschoolers but as they get older it is so hard to still have to deal with diapers, feeding, potty training and even having to have all that baby/toddler gear and toys around the house.  I just can't wait for the day when I give it all away but for now, we need it for the kids that come.

I'm thinking though that this doesn't even have as much to do with the kids as it has to do with a cabin fever that is hitting all of us right now.  With the Siberian temperatures for so long and being stuck inside every day, I think we're all losing it a little bit. Well, I know I am for sure.  At least we have that unfinished basement where kids run around, play basketball and burn some energy off.  I don't know what we'd do without it in the winter.  I keep watching the weather and for a week now we could see that this coming Sunday we will finally be in the 20s!  So we can't wait to do some ice skating outside that day and we better because the following weekend will be below 0 F again.

So, now that I complained to someone in the cyber world, I can go back to work. :)  Cheers and hope you're not suffering of a cabin fever like I am.