I'm feeling a bit defeated.

We went another round with the school district today, work is overwhelming me and parenting doesn't get any easier with stress. Kindergarten graduation is Wednesday and there are all these little big things to prepare--dog costumes for their music programs, graduation robes to iron, stick horses for the rodeo, cowgirl outfits . . . all times two, of course. The kinds of things I love to do, minus the ironing, but that are nearly impossible to do when I work 9.5 hours at one job then drive fifteen minutes straight over to the other to work another 3.25. The nights I don't go to Sylvan, Dowlan immediately hands over the household reigns and goes out to do the census. Weekends are no better.

I can't sleep. Between the stress, head cold and the ($#&*#$(*@# who crank called us three times at 2:00 this morning, I haven't had more than two consecutive hours of sleep in days. I'm also coping with the recent death of my laptop power cord. Fortuntately, I had the good sense to use it's final draining battery power on ebay, buying a new cord.

The kids are all healthy again and Charlie's concussion seems to have had no lasting effects. He's been giving voluntary hugs and kisses lately, which is an improvement over claiming he was allergic to me.

And there's all that other whole heap of stuff I just don't want to tell you all about.

I'm tired. If you pray, say a little prayer for us.