Kids: 1, Mom: 0

To say that having two kids is more difficult than one is an understatement. It's so, so much fun, but I'm not going to lie ... sometimes I feel defeated by the little people in our house. Especially in the mornings. If you ever have to visit us on a weekday morning, don't. It's not fun at our house. I'm running around like a madwoman trying to get myself ready, plus two kids. And, since I'm breastfeeding, that takes out about 20 minutes. A little over a week ago, Adam and I packed the kids into the car to go to work and I just started crying. I hadn't even backed out of the driveway yet and I already felt like I'd had a full day! So that got me thinking...

I wonder sometimes if I was a better parent before I was a parent. There were so many things that I said I'd never do that I do daily now! Especially when I'm stressed for time, like the mornings before work. For instance:

1. My kids won't watch TV until they're 2. The week we brought Madeline home from the hospital, I plopped Luke in front of the TV, "What do you want to watch?" Translation: please sit here for 30 minutes so I can take care of your sister, go to the bathroom, take a shower. Now, he brings me the remote. Sigh.

2. My kids will behave when out in public. Yeah. Right. I'll admit I was one of those people: "When I have kids, they will not act like that!"

3. When my kids misbehave, I will talk to them calmly so they understand how to act correctly. I try. I really do. But, the fourth or fifth time that Luke sits on Max, I start to lose my patience.

4. I will never bribe my kids with candy to be quiet. I took Luke and Madeline to the grocery store last week. After Luke's second meltdown, we walked right to the candy aisle, "Which one do you want?"

But, just as I'm feeling totally overwhelmed or beat, Luke comes to me with a big sloppy kiss, "Hi, Momma." Or, Madeline talks to me with her baby coos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHZAcHeQv7w. And, my heart melts.

At least I'm not the only mom who's racing around all the time, feeling nuts, or that's what my friends tell me. This is how my friend Morgan went to her son's first parent-teacher conference. The funniest part about it is that she didn't even notice until she was on her way home: