Signing off.

I give it my all, every day. I put up with the messes, the tears, the screams, the endless chores, and alas, the disobedience. For crying out loud, the disobedience! So when it continues after that magical hour of eight o-clock when all the little ones are supposed to be tucked into their beds, I make no promises of patience, or kindness, or even civility, for that matter. Oh brother, I do my best yelling at night. It doesn't help that Tim is gone for two, sometimes three nights a week, leaving me to handle baths, scripture study, and bedtime stories for four girls all by my lonesome. Man, how do single moms do it?

So, if you want to break down crying and tell me you had a really bad day at 8:30 (while at the same time, biting your sister's head off and ignoring my polite requests for you to march yourself off to bed), my sympathy is limited, at best. In fact, I may just lose it. Come to think of it, I just did. I'm sure I'll feel very sorry about it when you're zonked out from your sugar coma and, in my somewhat decompressed state, I find you sleeping peacefully. Yes, I'm sure I will like you more then.

But, in the future, please remember that this mom turns into a pumpkin at 8:00. Sharp. Poof!