I never want my blog to portray that I’ve got to it all together and my children are always perfect. Nothing could be further than the truth! Take today, for example.

The girls just would not stop fighting. It was constant. They couldn’t agree how to build their fort and there was screaming and yelling and gnashing of teeth so I called them to some sit on the couch and “work it out”. They couldn’t work it out. It was just more yelling and screaming at each other, despite my attempts at reminding them that we do not speak to each other like that in this family. I could see we were getting nowhere with them trying to “work it out” together.

I could feel my blood boiling so it was time to separate. Everyone. I sent everyone, including myself, to separate areas of the house, set a timer, and told everyone to stay in their area until the timer went off.

I sent myself to Sarge’s bedroom and Sarge went with me. As I sat in there with him I got to thinking about this 3 kid jig we’ve been dancing now for almost 16 months.

Three kids is NO JOKE! There is ALWAYS something happening. Always. Currently, we have one with a rotten attitude most days, one who has decided she would rather act like a 2 year old than her current age and a newly walking toddler that is, well, a newly walking toddler!!

When they all 3 get their antics going at the same time…..it’s a GRAND CIRCUS around here!

Some days, like today, it takes every thing within me to keep MYSELF together when all these little people are doing what little people do. Many days, I fail, and I have to ask my own children for forgiveness in how I handled a situation.

Today, however, I kept my cool…by the Grace of God. I find if I put myself on automatic and take my own emotions out of the equation, I am more likely to not loose it myself.

That and knowing naptime is coming. Every day, naptime comes. 2pm. Peace and quiet. A time for us all to refresh, reboot and gain strength for the second half of the day. I don’t know what I would do without naptime. Currently, only 2/3 of my children actually sleep during naptime, but every day – without fail – from 2-4pm it will be “naptime” in this house!

Do you think that will fly when they are 11, 14 and 16 years old?!

Days like today I have to remind myself that before I know it they will be 11, 14 and 16 and these days will just be memories….

- Elaine