Abby's 9th Birthday

My kids switch through their obsessions so quickly that my head can start spinning. One year ago on Abby's birthday, it was everything Star Wars. She was so obsessed with it that it was the only thing she wanted. One year later and Star Wars is a thing of the past (sadly). Now it's all things Trolls. So the cake, presents and chatter was just that: Trolls. (The kids movie...not the creepy thing that lives under bridges.) Abby was hoping for a big birthday party with a ton of friends, but I told her not until she's ten...maybe.

For her birthday at school I made blue (her favorite color) cupcakes and Troll fruitsnacks. And then on her party day, it was a Smidge (her favorite Troll) cake with cookie dough ice cream (coconut version for the allergic kid). She got most everything she wanted, including another stuffed animal that she is in love with. It's a dachshund named Chloe. It was a good time and the kids had fun with Wesley and Greta over for the day.

I'm super proud of the way Abby has grown in the last year. She's a super talented kid with lots of art skills and is kind and sweet to everyone she meets. It will be fun to watch the next year of growth again. Happy Birthday Abby! We love you!

Tweenagers

What I look like inside as I try to figure out the parenting thing...

I had to look this up to make sure I wasn't losing my mind, but I was dead on. The official years that are considered "tweens" in children are ages 8 to 12. For the last twenty years few years, raising these kids has gotten significantly...well...frustrating. I love them forever and always and to the moon and back.

But.

Oh my gosh...they can drive me CRAZY!

It started with Alex (as he is ten now) but Abby showed the signs of it earlier than him. Attitude. That's the best word for it. They flip me attitude. Not good attitudes, either. The kind that makes me want to pull my hair out and try gluing it back on backwards so I don't let them see my frustrated "crazy" eyes. Because I truly believe that when they see that crazy look in my eyes, they know they've secretly won the battle they brought down upon me - their poor helpless mom.

And it's only getting worse as the years go by. I believe that the tween age is there to get you slowly prepared for the frightening things that true teenagers will bring, but that doesn't make it better. Most of the time, they aren't testing my very last nerve. But a good chunk of it is filled with snippy comments, bad attitudes, drama, and sarcastic quips. As a highly sarcastic person, this shouldn't bother me. But their sarcasm can be almost over the top. Some say I deserve it. Oh well.

One day, I will look back on the constant battles, "I don't want to clean my room!" comments, screaming nonsense, fighting to the death, and (my personal favorite) the "you hate me!" accusations and I will miss it.

Right?

...and what the general public sees as I try to hide my crazy.