January Weather Wonders

So, you may recall from the last few years, that we have experienced some pretty brutal January and February weather. The ice storm of '09, the ice storm of '10, and the 2 ft snow dump of Feb 2011 were enough to drive me right back to South Texas! But for some reason...so far, our winter weather this year has been pretty mild. And yes, I realize that I'm totally jinxing it! I fully expect that we could end up with a few heaps of snow and ice anytime before April 15th. But I'm also enjoying totally basking in the fact that I've been outside with my kids with no coats for the last two days. And that is nothing short of miraculous for January. Here are some pictures of our adventures today.

We spent about an hour and a half in the backyard. We played frisbee, soccer, tee ball, and pretty much every imaginative thing that could be done with our playset (sans big slide- since it was broken by a neighbor...and we weren't going to replace it till the spring. You know cuz we figured we'd be stuck indoors for at least 6 months.)

Anyways, we had a blast. And I did cherish every minute with my children who have been angels the last two days. (Please refer to previous post if this is confusing.)

Parenting is hard.

Today I read an article that I really needed to read. I needed it because yesterday was HARD. I took the kids to dance class at 10:30 as per usual on Tuesday morning, and I was pretty much appalled by their wild behavior and inablility to control themselves and listen to the teacher. Most of the time, they behave pretty well in class, and love what they are doing, and have tons of fun. But they both just wanted to run around, do their own thing, and just generally not be attentive. I sat, watching the monitor, for 20 minutes before I couldn't take anymore. I went in, and called them out of class...to tell them that we were done with dance for the day because they couldn't behave. Well, then two wild fits ensued...which was pretty much aweseomely disruptive, and awesomely embarrassing in front of the other moms. Within a few minutes, the class was over and Miss Rachel came out. I made them apologize, and off we went.

When we got home, they were disciplined for the misbehavior and for the fits. And they spent the day without tv and without their handheld games.

As a parent it stinks when your kid misbehaves...for one because you want them to act better/know they can act better...and for two, because often you are surrounded by people who may or may not be judging you on your capabilities/inabilities as a parent. Training up a child in the way that they should go is kind of like training for a run. You have to be diligent and disciplined every day, or things start to slip. It is a fantastically wonderful challenge, but some days are just really hard.

So, today I was grateful to read this article that a friend had shared on fb. I appreciate the honesty and candor. I hate that as moms it's like an unwritten rule that you can't ever admit that you've lost a battle, or that you were flat out defeated...or you could be labeled as one who is doing it all wrong.

Here's the truth that I live. I have two amazing kids. For the great majority of the time, I am full of joy and gratitude to be doing what I am doing as a SAHM. But the reality is also that I have two 3 1/2 year olds. And some days that gets down right rough. And I'm doing the best I can, with what I get each day.

Here's the link to the article. I know some Mommies who might just appreciate it as much as I did!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glennon-melton/dont-carpe-diem_b_1206346.html

And just for the record...today has been a much better day. :-)