Crying over spilt milk

As a mother, there is nothing that throws me off more than a missed nap or a delayed bedtime. I don't know why this is, exactly; but I have a few guesses. Jealously over free-time is one of the root issues; but, I've also wondered if I am more set into routines than I realize. Starbeans has set his own schedule, but sticks to it almost religiously, so I am pretty used to things happening at the same general time each day. Not tonight!

This evening, things were slightly off-kilter: Starbeans and I were out-and-about until 8:00 or so (unusual) and when we got home, the cats (all 4 of them) were roaming the home. They usually "go to bed" (i.e. get shut in the laundry room so they can't pester us) when Squeeze goes to bed - around 7:00 or 8:00 pm. We've had too many years of being awakened at 4:00 am by ridiculous cat fights or caterwauling; and once Starbeans was born, that was it. They spend their nights confined: it is bliss. No getting hissed at when I roll over in bed, no "mreorowing!!!" at the crack of dawn, no cats trying to sleep on my pillow.

For the record: Four (count 'em - 4) cats is waaaaay too many cats. We were nuts. Warn your friends, if they ever get cat-happy: four cats is a wee bit over the top. I can't complain: we were forewarned, but completely ignored the tidings of doom and did it anyway. Now we must suffer for our enthusiasm.

Starbeans usually goes to bed at 9:00 pm. But at 9:00, instead of feeling sleepy, he was a live wire. Wiggling and excited. So, we hung out: we played, we took a bath, we looked at books. At 10:00 pm, he was feeling sleepy. Now mind you: the cats were out in force. I couldn't put them away for fear that it would wake Squeeze (an extremely light sleeper); he sleeps in our spare room since he goes to bed so early, which is right next to the laundry room. I figured he'd either wake up from Starbean's joyful yells or the cat's joyful mraows.

So, at 10:00 pm, I was nursing Starbeans to sleep and he was in the midst of the contended throngs of preparing to drift off, when "prrrrrthetetet!", our least clever cat, Little Bud, bounded into the bed right over Starbeans' head, who gave a wild giggle and sat straight up. So much for bedtime!! Wiggle-wiggle-wiggle, excitement, play, run, jump.

Finally, after 10:30 pm, I risked putting the cats away with Starbeans in tow (it went well) and put the kid to bed. I had to pull out all the stops and keep him laying down through tickle-torture until he drifted off to sleep blissfully.

Now that I feel better after writing this all out - why couldn't I have felt amused or affectionate towards the evening's escapades instead of annoyed and frustrated?

I hate being fallible.