Eating and Sleeping

These are basic necessities, right? I think so, in fact I probably do more than I should of both. My children on the other hand refuse to do either. What is wrong with them? The only reason any of them ever eat is because I sit them down and force them to eat. Now, some people might think I'm crazy and should just let them eat when they get hungry. But you don't understand - they won't! They never tell me that they're hungry and if they go too long without food then they become the exorcist children and their little heads spin around and fire comes out of their mouths. Ok, so that's an exaggeration. For those who know me, I cannot go without food for very long either and I get really agitated. So they come by this honestly. But I WANT to eat. Paige went through this when she was 2,3,4 and 5, but now she's getting better. I thought it was a freak thing and just her. But no, it's Hyrum too. He hates eating. I babysat some other kids the other day and they ate all day long. Hyrum? Not even a little interested. I thought that since the other kids were eating he would want to too. At EVERY meal I have to remind him every few minutes to take a bite of his food and that he can't get down until he finishes. I don't serve large portions and it shouldn't take him long, but more times than not, he is there for 45 minutes to an hour. Sometimes I even break down and help him eat. Pathetic I know - he's 3 1/2! But unless I make sure they are all eating in 3 hour increments and having something healthy they will have a complete meltdown. Paige is really coming out of it now - thank goodness. Even Hannah won't eat at times. These kids are already really skinny and shouldn't be missing meals, I on the other hand should be missing more.

Sleep. I love sleep. I love sleeping. My children seem to think it leads to disease. They never wake up past 7:00, but that's a miracle. Usually it's more like 5:30 or 6:00. It doesn't matter what time they go to bed. People have tried to tell me that I put them to bed too early. But it doesn't matter. I can put them to bed at 9:00 for a week straight and they still wake up at the same time. So for my sanity, I put them to bed at 7:30. This gives me 2 hours to myself to get caught up and watch a show before I go to bed at 9:30. I would love to stay up late sometimes and do something fun, but I have to get up with the kids. Sometimes I can bribe Cameron into getting up with them, but most of the time he's already gone or was working until 1:00 am the night before.

Why can't my children just want to eat and sleep?!?! This is my lot in life and I am getting used to it, but I just needed to vent for a minute.