This has been a hard week for me. I'm in a little bit over my head (okay, so what's different about every other week?). I know that I will make it through this and am fairly confident that in a few months or so I will look back on this week with nostalgia and think," Remember that time when life was so simple?"

I have been struggling with my seven year old - I pretty much have struggled with her since she was one. I like to call it the second child syndrome - you know - sassy, doesn't listen to a word I say, just extreme in almost everything she does. We (my husband and I) know that she struggles. She doesn't really fit in with other kids, especially other girls and she hasn't figured out that rules, societal or otherwise, apply to her. We have tried so many different "methods" and I most often feel like I have failed her as a mother. I'm really quite tired of feeling like a failure and wish that I could find some better way to help her. We had her evaluated at age three and she was diagnosed with Oppositional Defiance Disorder and Attention Deficit. I thought that all three year olds could qualify as ADD and ODD. They also felt that she had been molested based on a drawing she drew. The drawing was of a dog toy, they didn't believe me until I brought the dog toy in - then they told me the dog must be important and not to get rid of him. I was not impressed and felt like I obviously was not going to get any real answers or help through that avenue. I finally got the courage to have her evaluated again. I hope that I can get some answers so that I can get the help I need to help her.

My husband sprung on me that we are taking a vacation next week. He asked for the time off and left it to me to get everything else taken care of (I love that part). I had three appointments scheduled for the kids next week, talked to their teachers, arranged for a dog sitter and a substitute for my Sunday School class. I was able to book a hotel right across the street from Disneyland and now I just have to get five people ready, bake a dozen sugar cookies (crazy little story), get the car drained and refilled of all fluids and register the car as it will expire as soon as we get home. I think this is all very doable and I am so looking forward to a reprieve from the everyday is the same blues.

Feels good to vent.