madness...

There's a point at which everything crowds in to life. That seems to be happening again, punctuated by some rather surprising demands at work. It's all fun stuff, right? All manageable, right? Most of the time, sure. The problem is when the stress blocks out other things and begins to spill over into my parenting. Was it really Buttercup's defiance yesterday that made me yell at her and threaten unnecessary consequences? Probably not. It was typical behavior of a tired, hungry almost-seven-year-old. No. I think the slips in my parenting style and my ability to keep the dishes washed and all the rest of it should really be credited to stress. The trick, however, is figuring out how to manage the stress while keeping all the balls in the air.