Sometimes this parenting gig is hard

Especially on days that go like this...
Child insists that she wants everything in the refrigerator for breakfast. When I explain to her that eating everything in the refrigerator would take too long, "but how about a yogurt and cereal bar?"  she says,  "You're mean."

When you pick said child up from kindergarten after lugging two toddlers for a mile in a stroller in the beating hot sunshine - sweating so much you keep wiping your forehead and upper lip while exchanging pleasantries with fellow parents.... only to have the kindergartner throw a tantrum because she has to walk along side the stroller instead of letting her pile onto the double stroller because her legs hurt after standing on them for 5 minutes. Tantrum had for the entire length of the time it takes to pass every kindergarten mother in the neighborhood. So much awesomeness.

You are a block away from home with the three kids mentioned above and my son, who has been  acting relatively normal so far, gets his arm slashed by a passing rose bush. Blood appears, chaos ensues. Kindergarten goes to rose bush and insists that she too has been attacked by the beastly bush because god forbid someone receives more attention than her. Really, kid? REALLY.

Telephone rings while I'm tending to my son's gash, it's me and the two toddlers and the kindergartner arguing with her cousin about something she said in the bathroom.  Like clockwork kindergartner starts yelling at the top of her lungs for me "to listen to her!" the second my ear touches the telephone receiver. I nudge her out of the bathroom door. And lock the door. And it felt good.

(Update: Kindergartner just opened her door after I instructed her to take a nap for the sake of both of our souls. She opens the door to tell me that a snake is in her room. I'm thinking I might just go in the room and ask that snake to eat me.)

(Update #2: This evening? So tiresome and stressful and sad. Layed with Mazzy just praying that I would find the resolve to fix us. Why are there so many times when I feel lost and alone in this parenting job, especially with my daughter? Hoping tomorrow is better. Hoping to be a better mom.)