1 Mother 2 Another

Ah, Easter - gaily decorated eggs nestled
in the grass, sweet-faced cherubs laughing delightedly and playing
gaily in their beautiful dresses, a near-continuous stream of
chocolate and jelly beans practically guaranteed for the whole day.


But then comes the morning after, and it ain't pretty.


I tried to regulate the girls, I really did. A couple pieces before
church, a couple pieces after lunch, one piece after dinner - I
didn't think it was that much, at least compared to what I see
going on around me. But man oh man, those kids were monsters when
it was bedtime - a lethal combination of stumblingly tired and
strung out on chocolate, with a dash of manic "hey, my friends are
here! Let's jump on Mommy's back twenty times!" mixed in for good
measure.


We had our share of meltdowns, breaks, temper tantrums, hitting,
and kicking, that's for sure. And after they'd gone to bed I went
through their baskets and winnowed out over half of what they'd
received, muttering under my breath about "next year, it's going
to be all fruit and crackers in the eggs!"


Though if I do that, I can't eat the confiscated contraband, which
I use to help me get through the rest of the week.


What to do, what to do.