thankful thursdays

So, I thought I should share what has been going on in my mommy brain. This summer has been such a huge trial and tribulation for me! With one very sick toddler, and another one that decided she wanted to test the boundaries of my authority once again, I have about lost my mind. When "school" let out, and I cut way back on my hours at work to be at home with them, I thought yipee! we are going to have a blast! But then... the days were getting longer and longer....and more and more tears were being shed-from all 3 of us!!! Julie was missing school and her friends, and Logan kept going to the door like, hey are we about to go somewhere?- Don't get me wrong, staying at home with two kids is one of the best things I have ever done, but it took a long time this summer for me to realize where I was in this parental game, and how to step up to the plate successfully. (for me that meant I got through one day without tears, or feeling like I could pull my hair out! ha!)
Here is what I did~I cried a lot at first, then I prayed! I learned that when they both get upset and they both start screaming and crying over sibling junk, I have got to "detach" emotionally. I needed to be very calm and not react, but ACT. Before I was just reacting and getting upset and stressed out and they could feel that! (thus making it all worse) So I would pick up whomever was crying the hardest, put him or her in their bed, turn out the light and shut their door. I would repeat the same ritual with sibling B, and then take 3 deep breaths, count to ten wait about 1 minute and go and get them. It usually worked! (and i felt better too)
Then when Logan kept getting sicker, I started having to cook, clean, move clothes from washer to dryer with him on my hip. (He is my 27 pounder) He just didn't feel good, and we were waiting to have his nasty infected tonsils taken out! I didn't have the heart to let my baby cry it out! Here is what I started doing. I started being thankful. Thankful that I had Christ as my savior to give me hope that I can do this and do a great job (with only HIM of corse :0) I began thinking, i am thankful that I have use of my arms and legs so that I CAN carry my 27 pounder around while I get my stuff done! I began thanking God for the awesome things we all take for granted like running water, working toilets, air-conditioning, oven, microwave, television, comfy couches, and the list goes on and on. I thought about women in third world countries that wake up each day and wonder if their children will be killed in front of them by terrorists or militia. (okay way extreme, but you get my drift...) I thought about how petty I was being, and changed my perspective. It helped a lot.
So how am I doing? Much better, and I only take one hour at a time :0)