You know you are under strain when...............

[Minx]

..........you feel tearful listening to No Charge by JJ Barrie on Top of the Pops 2 tonight.

[Candy]

One of Year Ten say you're a good teacher and you burst into tears!

[Lisav]

You have a ferocious row with your dh about who cleaned the baby's mucky mouth last - and this lasts all night!

[Bells2]

..... you go into a mini-depression cos Barry on Eastenders is working extra shifts at the Minute Mart in order to send his pregnant wife to a health farm while me at 37 weeks having returned home from an 11 hour day in the office, done 2 loads of washing, cooked supper, given toddler an hour of "see-saw" rides on my legs while my husband returns home at 8 having been at the pub and then proceeds to tell me off for interrupting him while he's on the phone (cos I want to go to bed) to his mad mother...sob sob!.

[Bugsy]

When tears start rolling down your face while watching unknown woman find child she rescued 20 years ago in Holby City. A mini-plot that takes up less than 5 mins of whole programme!

[Marina]

You reach out and touch (yes, I really did this yesterday) the TV screen when a picture of a little baby appears. Her mum had kidney failure and had been advised not to get pregnant. So her brother successfully donated a kidney.

[Mooma]

When not only dh, but all four of your kids ask if you are premenstrual, and you yell: "OF COURSE I'M NOT BL*Y PREMENSTRUAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

[Tigermoth]

......you meet your husband unexpectedly in a crowded place and forget his name.

[Lizzer]

Bursting into tears at 'Fast Car' by Tracey Chapman did it for me last night!!

[Emsiewill]

When the noise your dh makes when eating his tea makes you want to club him over the head!!
(or is that being premenstrual.....)

[Joe]

you get really excited you fixed the hoover.

[Mooma]

You shop at M&S (LOL Kia!)

[Mooma]

You go shopping at M&S...especially Kia

[Mooma]

Sorry guys - just when I thought I was beginning to get this posting lark sorted!

[Crunchie]

You find yourself (and DH) sitting in the babies room, one of you cluching the baby, one the toddler, all 4 of you crying for various reasons and saying 'God I wish we had never had kids!' (and meaning it for at least 10 mins, even picturing life without them - sleeping properly, having a bath alone, having a pee in peace etc etc)

[Chanelno5]

Sad but true I've found myself tearful choosing an anniversary card for my mum and dad when reading the 'beautiful' words inside and then end up buying the naff thing. But generally I'm a bit more composed and it's only Cow and Gate adverts which set me off. Seriously though, when I get down I find laughing at something whatever it may be (ie. husband's face, Alan Partridge video or having a likeminded mate round for a moan) really helps to snap you out. That or a glass of wine. Sometimes things seem so bleak that you can't laugh your way out, then talking to someone can really help, especially if they've been in your postion and come out the other side unscathed. Or log on to Mumsnet, I've only just joined but am really surprised by all the friendly and sensible advice by others in the same boat. Why do I never find any of you at the toddler groups I go to?

[Loola]

You know you are losing the plot when:-

You put the Fabric Conditioner in the fridge and the sugar bowl in the washing machine and then demand from anyone in the vicinity who has been buggering about in the kitchen.

When you go to put your child in the bath with nappy and socks still on

When you find yourself peering at yourself in fascination as you comb your hair with the nit comb to see what the effect on your hair is

When you wander around the house singing 'Puppet on a String' in a club stylee and wonder why everyone keeps staring at you.

I could go on but it would be too much like 'a typical day in the life of Loola' and I don't think Mumsnet is ready to accept the real wierd-ass that I am yet - so I'll shut up now........(like a puppet on a string, dum dum dum dum).....

[Jj]

..you start to make yourself a hard boiled egg and, while walking home after taking your son to nursery an hour a half later, hope that you won't return to a house in flames because you forgot to take it off the heat.

[Joe]

...when you have to keep driving back to check the front door because you cant remember if you have locked it or not and of course it always is.

[Tigermoth]

Yippee we're running again!!!!!

[Sid]

You keep checking Mumsnet every half hour and get really depressed when the message board still isn't working...Still, it's all alright now!

[Tigermoth]

Sid, I tried to post a message very similar to yours an hour ago... and half and hour before that.... and yesterday at 5.00... Sad or what!!!!

[Joe1]

I thought it was only me having problems I was having all the symptoms of cold turkey.

[Azzie]

... you call your husband by the name of a man you went out with 13 years ago.

[Bugsy]

Ooops Azzie, I hope it wasn't in a moment of passion!
Yesterday, I was shocked to find myself welling-up in the Early Learning Centre. I was killing time on a rainy afternoon with my ds and another child in there started having absolute hysterics, completely over-tired and beyond any form of reasonable communication. I could hear the wobble in his mothers voice as she tried to calmly negotiate him out of the shop without causing even more of a scene and had to concentrate very hard on Bob the Builder not to lose it completely. I must be on total hormonal overload & had to scuttle home fast before any other minor incidents sent me totally doolally.