Why?

Why does it have to be so darn hard?

I knew parenting wouldn't be easy, but why did I pull the card for three strong-willed kids?

Don't get me wrong, they are great kids, but raising them to be functioning members of society instead of hedonistic cavepeople is work.

Why is it when new management comes in to work, they seem to think they know better than the people who have been there for years?

Both my husband and I are dealing with newish management. We both feel so darn frustrated sometimes, when they take off on some new path that we just know will lead to grief, and they don't listen to us?

It just ends up leaving us feeling like cogs in a wheel. Our institutional knowledge and history of place count for nothing. Oh, and apparently 10+ years in the business count for nothing if you don't have a terminal degree.

Sheesh. I can't write what I'm probably going to want to say after the next few days at work.

Why does corporate America think it owns us body and soul?

Our raises are less than inflation, they expect us to work longer hours, in my case, sometimes travel without much notice, kill our self-esteem, belittle our credentials, and oh, not listen to us (see above). I care about what I do. Deeply. I just don't want to live there, no do I want to be dictated to. Hello, I've got a degree from a major university. Nowhere on that degree does it read "Slave".

I just want to tell them to chuck it. Nothing is as important as my family, and I resent the fact that my husband and I are forced to negotiate, or worse, value work over time spent with the people most important to us.

In case you can't tell, it's been a pretty darn awful couple of weeks, and it doesn't look like it's gonna get much better soon.

Murmph

I love Easter.

I love dark chocolate.

'nough said. :)

Some funny moments:

Twice this weekend our son was up before the crack of dawn. Both times I caught him with chipmunk cheeks o'chocolate. (once from his daycare party stash, once from the Bunny basket stash).

Our youngest looked cute as a button in her frilly pink dress. (yes, I have caved with the second girl. I dress her girly. Deal.) But ten seconds after pulling it over her head, she was saying "NO. NO. NO."

Later that day, she ripped off the skorts Dad changed her into. Apparently she is rejecting the girly clothes at 19 months.

Once again, the only photos we have of our eldest during the Great Egg Hunt are of her back, in blur, because she's running around like a psycho child to snag more eggs than anyone else. This despite the fact that she's pretty sure the Bunny involves trickery with Mom and Dad and other accomplices.

Bevare, the Vampire!

Also known as our nearly four-year-old son.

It is a really sad thing when you have to drop your child off at school and preface each day with this line:

Okay, you aren't going to bite anyone today, right?

He's decided that the best way to get his way at school is to chomp. Earlier this week, he was defending his friend, who was having a toy taken away by another egotistical four-year-old (they are all egotistical four-year-olds, mine included). Kid two decided the best way to help his friend was to bite the hand of the offender.

Where are the parenting manuals again? Seriously. We need them.

In other news, our little one is half-monkey. She's decided it is fun to climb on and over furniture. She's barely 29 inches tall. You just don't expect anyone that small to be able to be sitting on top of the back of the sofa.

Want to take bets on how long it is before I have a post here on her breaking her collarbone? Over/under is within a year.