It's Training Silly . . .

Huge sigh...

It's been one of those days. You know the kind right???

We started late, but I was intent on redeeming our day. Since it was already ten o'clock and all that we had done was piano and Bible, I threw caution to the wind and decided to make smoothie's and have Poetry Smoothie-time. I mean, why not? Who cares if we took yesterday off and I have this now compulsive need to fit 5 days work of school into 4. Who cares if the other family we do science with on Tuesdays will be here at 12:30? It's the relationship, silly!

And assessing the potential disaster of the day: (4 days of sleeping at grandma's, non stop swimming, treats, friends, and movies, combined with late nights including last nights Star Wars with dad until 10pm)... yeah, smoothie poetry it is.

About 2 minutes in J (who is usually napping during poetry smoothies) pours smoothie all over herself. Yeah, maybe those $.50 margarita smoothie cups are a bit wobbly for a 3 year old...

Deep breathe. It's just a mess right?

I grit my teeth, force a smile and carry on. Smoothie time was an otherwise success and we move onto math.

An hour and a half later I am well past done but the math is not. Ok Ok telling me I should have cut it off earlier is not helpful NOW. I know I know...

Moving on to reading...

What are you doing?

Trying to read it.

Ummm...how can you be reading if the card is in my hand and you are looking everywhere BUT here. You can't read the card if you're eyes are up down and all around!

Who knew A said /e/ and g said /ch/?!?

Yeah, maybe we shouldn't move on because honestly, it got ugly. really ugly. Somewhere past me pounding a wall and locking myself in a bathroom I gave up. Have I mentioned I am hormonal right now?!?! Ugh. Some days I should lock myself in a room.

We survived science with our friends and even managed to get outside and play a hoop and arrow game like Hopi Indian children. (ok, really I was trying to keep everyone outside to not wake j up from her nap). Piano lessons completed and some playtime with friends.  All good.

Well there was that moment C threw the Candy Land pieces across the room and my eyes almost popped out of my head.  And the time I threatened warned the three year old that if she didn't take a LONG nap there would be no gymnastics. And the time I looked at my 8 year old like she had lost her mind when I told her to do something and she continued playing her game with her friends....I mean other than those times (and  the other times I refuse to acknowledge even happened)...no one died (a little friend did get stung by a wasp though). Moderate success right? OK yeah, no. When survival becomes the benchmark... we are all in trouble.

Sigh. Again.

We dragged everyone to afternoon gymnastics ... I did manage a run by Circle K because $.69 really large Diet Coke is needed on days like today... at gymnastics of course I had to park in Egypt because the parking lot was full...ended up skipping evening swimming lessons because well, if you can't find your bathing suit you don't go to swimming right? (Sometimes reality discipline benefits me more greatly than I admit!)

Left the older one at the gym and headed home. Pajama time. Who cares if it is 5pm. I need you ready for BED. The three year old went in the bath because...well it takes longer than a shower and I need a minute. Somewhere between the I need a towel!!! Where are my pajamas?!?! and finding poop on the bathroom wall...

ummmmmm ewwwwwwwww?!?!?

Good thing soup was on in the crock pot or dinner might not have happened.

Netflix time.

ugh. Didn't I say no more Angelina Ballerina? I don't like the attitudes...change it...(truth is I bet her attitude was better than mine today!) 

Jake and the Neverland Pirates it is. Yey hey No way is better than Angelina Ballerina right? OK maybe not, but I am over it at this point.

Then back to pick up E at the gym who is in tears because her coach "yelled at her" . . .

oh.gracious.goodness I know how her coach feels...

insert lecture about how shutting down and wasting 3 hours of gym time because of a pity party over her coach's expectations is not fair to her coach, her, or us...

oh goodness, I should get a medal for this today. Do they give epic parent fail medals?

Home....finally.

But wait...

C refuses to heed sisters warning and opens the car door anyway...only to bang a piece of furniture listed for sale in the garage...yeah. Guess I will lower that price...and now the car is scratched.

Insert lecture on thinking you know better and not listening to instruction...

Off to bed he goes because I am done.

MAMA?!?!?

Is the room on fire? Because if not, there is nothing you need from me. 

Yeah...deep breath.

Life with littles, right?

Thankfully every day is not like this or well...yeah, I would be institutionalized or my kids would have no chance of normal.

I think its days like these that I realize how blessed I am. Because these days aren't normal. My kids are great kids. Obedient, respectful, loving...sure they argue and get sassy, make messes, wreak havoc, and lose their clothes...but hey, they're kids. They're learning.

It is easy to despair on days like today. To question your parenting or your sanity...but the truth is, kids aren't perfect...they are in training.

They will have days like this. We will do and say things we regret. We make mistakes, so do they. We apologize, hug and cuddle and move on. Discipline is about teaching...training.

And how grateful I am. Thankfully, God doesn't expect perfection from us...He disciplines us...teaches us, trains us, molds us into who He wants us to be...sanctification is a process. A process days like today show me I am not quite as far as I would have hoped...

Training kids is a process. We must teach how to clean up a room, how to make a bed, how to answer respectfully, how to be kind and share, how to have self control. And there will be times we get it right, and times we don't...

So on days like today I will try to remember that my kids are amazing, and they are growing, and learning, and are still little . . . and in training. Better yet? Tomorrow is a new day.