Mothers of Boys

Ok, how do you do it? How in the world do Mother's of boys survive their childhood without having a heart attack or panic attacks at least once a day? I had such a moment today. Apparently we have these chili petin peppers growing in our backyard. If you don't already know, they are EXTREMELY hot, even more than jalepenos. Well Jackson decided they looked pretty tasty and decided to eat some tonight. When he started crying that horrible distressed cry, I immediately went into panic mode. It seems like when Jackson gets sick, it's always on the severe end, so I figured this was not going to end well. We washed out his mouth and gave him milk and bread to help absorb the oil from the pepper. Luckily after about 10 minutes, he stopped crying and trying to claw his tongue out, but his whole mouth area was splotchy and red. I now worried that maybe he was having an allergic reaction and his throat might close up. I quickly called poison control to see if a trip to the ER was necessary, but they assured me it was not. Sigh. My heart is still pounding 30 min. later. Lord, please let me live long enough to see my little guy grow up!!

Love is all you need?

I have a confession to make and it might upset some of you.. but for some of you parents, you might understand completely where I am coming from. I'll let you be the judge. 
Let me preface this by saying, I really do love my children more than words can say. I would do anything for them. Some days though.. this sentiment goes right out the window. Makayla is 5 1/2 and Jackson is almost 2, however these are not particularly fun ages. Makayla is in a defiant stage and likes to challenge almost every word that comes out of our mouths. She so desperately wants to be in charge of everything that she often just does things without asking and of course ends up in trouble. One example is that she wakes up before my alarm and instead of coming to my room like I've told her to do a million times, she will go into the kitchen and start eating whatever she can get her hands on. Now, if I could get her to make her own breakfast, this wouldn't be a problem, but she likes to go for the "off-limits" stuff. I like the kids to have milk in the morning, but she will go and get herself a big glass of juice, which again, she knows I don't like. When I ask her why she did it instead of asking me, she says, "Because I wanted it". UGH! It's like her personal mantra right now!! This doesn't just apply to food, it often applies to clothes, getting out too many toys, playing too rough with her brother etc. Here is where my confession comes in.. I always love Makayla, but sometimes I do not like her. Luckily, this feeling doesn't last long, just when I am super frustrated. 

Jackson is another story. He isn't defiant, but he's in a whiny stage. When he doesn't get his way, he whines. How can something so cute make a noise that obnoxious?! He loves to explore, which i don't mind, but when he gets into something I don't want him to and I redirect him, he just starts throwing a fit. He will stomp his feet or fall to the ground and starts whining and crying. Lucky for us, he doesn't do this that often, but when he does, it is definitely nerve-racking! 

Have you experience these moments with your children? Let me know one thing your child does that just makes you crazy!