Whoa! I just noticed the time and ran for the iPad. One thing's for sure, I will find it much easier completing this challenge with the present Kim got for me back in January.
Today passed by in a blur of maddening non-productivity, just as the rest of last week had done. Missing church due to a mix of daylight savings and Yonah's waking up for several hours at 5 seemed to set the tone for the day. Everything seemed to go wrong, and it got worse as both children refused to nap. It was nearing 6 before the girl finally gave in to her exhaustion; the boy never did.
After a day like this, it's hard not to feel like I'm letting the whole team down. It's incredibly easy to say, "Oh, man. She would have been able to stay in the moment and not waste the time spent with her children instead of getting frustrated that they were so consuming her time and attention." (I'll let you know who exactly "she" is when I figure it out myself.) How I need to learn to make lemonade out of the lemons life delivers.
All I can say is, thank God for conversations with wonderful husbands; Kim may be on the other side of the world, but he still manages to refresh my spirits.
Showing posts with label frustration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label frustration. Show all posts
13 March 2011
27 October 2010
ending on a high note
This morning I started well, despite approximately only two hours of sleep the night before. Amazingly, I was not only able to stay conscious (though mental processes and energy levels were rather lethargic) until nap, but I also was able to eat and keep things down . . . until, at some point during nap, this baby decided that something in my lunch s/he did not like. The rest of the day after that, until about 10 this evening, I could barely prop myself up in bed without losing something.
Apparently, my children decided that this was not acceptable, after I had had such a non-sick start. Arabelle succumbed to a belief that there was absolutely nothing worth being happy about, unless perhaps that involved getting anything she even mildly was interested in having. Having to deal with a massive meltdown every 10-15 minutes or so did grate my nerves a little, but once I was able to get up and about again she started calming down.
Yonah, on the other hand, expressed his frustration through finding a black crayon and coloring on just about every single surface available to his reach, from the dresser in my bedroom, to the washing machine (inside of lid included), to inside the microwave, and everything in between. For some reason he decided to spare the bathroom and the office; I wouldn't be surprised if the only reason they were skipped was because God set angels to guard those doorways, since before we've discovered a frustrated person had colored inside the toilet.
At first I was very upset to discover the crayon's work; but Yonah and I had a talk about what he had done, and why, and how he could better handle frustrations like this in the future, and then - of his own choice - he ran for a rag, got it wet all by himself, and started trying to help me scrub away the crayon marks. It actually turned into a bit of a fun scavenger hunt, and each time we found a new place he'd colored, he apologized - without prompting.
It does a Mommy's heart good to see her son acting in the ways she has trained him to know as right and good.
Apparently, my children decided that this was not acceptable, after I had had such a non-sick start. Arabelle succumbed to a belief that there was absolutely nothing worth being happy about, unless perhaps that involved getting anything she even mildly was interested in having. Having to deal with a massive meltdown every 10-15 minutes or so did grate my nerves a little, but once I was able to get up and about again she started calming down.
Yonah, on the other hand, expressed his frustration through finding a black crayon and coloring on just about every single surface available to his reach, from the dresser in my bedroom, to the washing machine (inside of lid included), to inside the microwave, and everything in between. For some reason he decided to spare the bathroom and the office; I wouldn't be surprised if the only reason they were skipped was because God set angels to guard those doorways, since before we've discovered a frustrated person had colored inside the toilet.
At first I was very upset to discover the crayon's work; but Yonah and I had a talk about what he had done, and why, and how he could better handle frustrations like this in the future, and then - of his own choice - he ran for a rag, got it wet all by himself, and started trying to help me scrub away the crayon marks. It actually turned into a bit of a fun scavenger hunt, and each time we found a new place he'd colored, he apologized - without prompting.
It does a Mommy's heart good to see her son acting in the ways she has trained him to know as right and good.
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