Everyone has a breaking point

Today was rough. Normally, I don't let things get to me. I can just deal and move on but Monster just pushed all the right buttons today. As I told my friend, Sarah, Monster was doing a good job making me feel like an inadequate parent. It was constant whining, tantruming, and defiance. His normal few moments of cute and sweet behavior were not enough to make up for the firestorm of monstrous behavior. I think we are both going to be very pleased when it is bedtime and we can take a break from each other. Luckily, husband is home now and has taken over child herding for a while so I can sneak away and try to get my head back in the game. It is days like today that remind me how important it is to have good self-care. In order to be the best you can be, to be as patient and understanding as you can be, you need to take time for yourself. The more frustrated, burnt out you get, the harsher you are with others. I find that when I am feeling pretty low, I nit pick my kids more which in turn, deteriorates their mood, which makes my mood worsen. *shakes head* It is not pretty. So my faithful followers, take time for yourself today. Recharge that battery so you are ready to take on the world tomorrow. Put down the laundry, or dirty dishes, or paperwork, or...you get the point. Take 10-15 minutes for YOU. YOU are important and deserve attention. The world will be a better and prettier place with you being happy. I promise. Ok, now that we got the business out of the way let us do some updates. D had is IEP eligibility meeting on Monday. The meeting basically confirmed what I already knew about D. He is wickedly smart. He scored above average in every area of cognitive ability except for short term memory (he scored average in that area). He is on track academically which is amazing as he is at his third school of the year. What I found interesting was that the behavior that he exhibits at school is different than at home. At home, he has more externalizing behavior (screaming, yelling, defiance, etc) and at school, he has more internalized behavior (anxiety, depression, withdrawal). Due to his behavior problems, he is eligible for an IEP and all his safety plans/behavior plans are in place in writing so the next school will be legally mandated to provide him the services that help him. D's time with us is rapidly coming to an end unless the caseworker is able to work something out with our agency. I am trying to optimistic that it will work out. The caseworker continues to tell me she doesn't want to move him and I truly believe she is doing everything she can to keep him here. I contacted his attorney the other day about this and she emailed me back saying that once a child does well in a therapeutic setting, it is DHS' job to find the child a less restrictive setting. Why is it hard to believe that maybe when a child does well in a therapuetic setting it isn't because they are "healed" but rather this is the type of setting they need? Maybe now that a child is stable, they can work on the underlying issues that are causing the bigger, more explosive behavior. Take a deep breath, Amelia. You are getting worked up again... Bean is Bean. I am constantly blown away by him. He is a very thoughtful, caring, and respectful kid. He has been spending his time mastering climbing the bigger tree in our backyard as well as the monkey bars at the park. I love being able to experience his excitement and enthusiasm over meeting these "big kid" milestones. He enjoys creating art, especially art that uses tape. LOTS of tape. The concept of glue is lost on this boy. We go through a lot of tape. I feel like I need to start rationing it out. Thank God for the dollar tree. The kids are almost done in the bath and I think the husband would appreciate help wrangling the wet kids into jammies. Peace out!