Patrick is gone for a week at a car conference (NADA) in New Orleans. Poor guy, away in New Orleans during Mardi Gras and having to slum it at the Ritz Carlton. We've been doing fine but for some reason they are really acting up this morning. Declan crawled in my bed at 6am with 3 eggs asking me if I could make them for him. We had good karma as the eggs thankfully didn't break. The morning got progressively worse with magic markers on the couch and lots of fighting. Instead of getting mad, as that does nothing except making *all* of us feel like crap, I am now sitting in my bedroom, by myself, with the door locked. Just for a few minutes. I need them to chill out and for me, need to have just a few minutes of peace. The little green runny-nosed monsters are banging on the door as I pay some overdue bills online and order my dad a birthday present a few days late.

It gets easier, right?