motherly expertise......PLEASE.... :)

I've been getting owned.

Almost daily.

By my sweet little Warren. 

2 days ago, I was completely exhausted and most days I don't really know what to do. So I come to you, my faithful readers. (haha, I don't blog enough to have faithful readers) No but in all seriousness I need some help. Here's my dilemma. He's at the stage where if he takes a nap, he won't fall asleep/go to bed/keep getting out of bed until 9:30 or 10. If I don't give him a nap, he's bouncing off the walls 24/7, cranky, whining a lot more, but I put him down at 7/7:30.  And when I try to put him to bed-I almost lose it. We have to pin him down to put his jammies on and get him to settle down. Help? :)  (I can't lock him in his room at night, when he keeps trying to get out, he shares the room with Lydi)

Which comes to my second dilemma. I try to do quiet time activities with him during the days that I decide to not give him a nap. It usually goes like this: yesterday I got an activity ready that I was SURE he would love. Ripping colored paper and gluing it down to make a "fall tree". I started with the ripping. He tried a couple times and didn't want to do it anymore because he couldn't figure it out. Then I show him how and give him encouragement to keep trying. He tries and then decides he's done and doesn't to rip paper. (whaa?? what kid doesn't want to rip paper?) So then I tell him I'll rip the paper and he can glue it down. I show him how to put glue on the pieces, he doesnt want to do that either, he just wants to paint glue all over the paper we are putting it on. So then I let him go crazy and paint the paper with glue and then I tell him do put the pieces down. He doesn't want to do that either, so I let him paint away with the glue. Then he's bored with that and wants to pour the cup of glue all over. I tell him he can't do that and put it away. He flips out. 

Moral of the story. I get frustrated because I'm trying to do 1 on 1 time with him and doing a fun crafty activity and he ends up getting frustrated because I wont let him spill glue all over. I guess I need to find activities where he can just make a mess of whatever it is? Ideas? Suggestions? 

And my other dilemma. Poor little Lydia. She get's steam rolled/head pushed into the ground/toys taken away from her/pulled down from standing position by Warren I don't know how many times daily. I know he just wants to have someone to play with. The thing is, I feel like I'm constantly getting on his case for hurting her. If it's not a huge thing that he does and really isn't harming her, I let it go. But of course when he just steals toys from her or is really hurting her I have to discipline him. Which most of the time he's too rough or just steals her toys and chucks them so she can't have them. So then I feel like I'm telling him no or disciplining him more than I am praising him or telling him yes. And I don't want to do that. 

At least 15 minutes a day I try to play airplane with him or wrestle with him to try and help the situation, but on his non nap days, he needs that almost 24-7.

I've just been so exhausted the last 2 weeks trying to figure my little guy out and help him the best I can without telling him no all the time. I feel way too frustrated most days and I don't want that either. I feel like I am also asking him to do things over and over and over again before he listens or does it.

AND this kid DOES NOT eat. It's a fight most times to get him to eat.... I don't even know what else to say with that.

I know I'm missing something/not doing enough/etc. 

I'm sending out an S.O.S :)