A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Weekend

This shot of my cranky daughter exemplifies how we've been feeling the last few days.



Have you ever read the book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day? It's one of my classic favorites and this weekend, (actually this week) has been a perfect example of when nothing seems to go right. You know, when it seems like everything goes wrong and nothing in the universe is aligning remotely in favor of you?

It all started with me getting a stomach virus and being sick and painfully bedridden for 2 days, which was a lovely way to start my 4th of July weekend, and then things just, well, rolled downhill from there with other family dynamics.

In other news, Sophia is a full-fledged 2 year old. She's getting the tantrum thing down pat. Her temperament is so testy these days and she's incredibly headstrong. Her latest thing is she doesn't want to wear a bathing suit. She dislikes them on her.

Abhors them, actually.

Took her to the interactive fountains a few days ago, and moments after arriving, she was wailing about her suit, kept yelling, "No! No!", proceeded to peel it off (despite my trying to keep it on her) and then vehemently threw it on the ground. And gave me the look captured in the image above.

Yep, it was one of those mommy moments of feeling publicly mortified that my daughter was adamantly resisting me. I know that children, like adults, naturally recoil from being controlled, and that she's only 2, and this is part of the natural process of child development, but it can be challenging at times. I've been through this before, so I'm armed with experience and episodes such as this, usually brush off. The good news is, I had Domi with me that day, and he could tell she just needed a change of scenery and took her on a walk. He's going to make an amazing father and husband when he grows up. I'm currently reading, Parenting for a Peaceful World and it's giving me the 'refresher' I want and helps keep things in perspective when I need it.

I don't want this post to come off as a pity-party. Things should get better this week. Because I've realized, I've got to take a break when I need it, know my (and my family's) limits, and learn to let go of things I cannot control.

And the above candid, and oh, so 'real' shot of Miss. Cranky Pants at the interactive fountains, is courtesy of one of my talented photographer friends, Suzanne Reiss.