"Successful" Day

Its 11:30 right now, and I am putting off going to bed because Brian started a set of nights today, and it always feel so odd going to bed alone.

Today was a "everyone survived, so we're going to call it a successful day" sort of day. Brian got called into work this afternoon, working back-to-back shifts. Zielle is teething and is a royal pain right now. That looks really bad in writing, but I think we all have those days when our kids are just being a pain, so I'm going to leave it. Kayden was having a good day, and it seemed like Zielle was on a crusade to ruin it. Seriously. Intentional rampage. She kept taking his special things and running off with them screaming. He didn't even hit her, even though she really deserved it, and instead was saying things sweetly, like "Zee-owwie, that's my bwanket. Zee-owwie, that's Kayden's soother. Not yours. Give me back my soother pwease Zee-owwie." Zeille was in no mood to be sweet, however, and went on to steal his food. When he tried to take it back, she started screaming at the top of her lung. Not crying. Screaming. As if she was being tortured. Kayden retreated to the downstairs, trying to seek some peace, and she just followed him. She took it upon herself to demolish his trains, attempting put them into the mega blocks box. Then, to add injury to insult, she picked up his wooden trains and started wacking him over the head with them. This is all in the space of about ten minutes. Most of the afternoon was a different version of this same story. I really don't think that saying Zielle was "being a pain" is over top here...

Why am I going on about this? Because I think that we all have these days. In the space of 15 minutes, our calm goes to chaos. We go from composed to frustrated. Our children go from blessings to landing in a snowdrift. (Just kidding... never thrown my kids into a snowdrift. Yet.)

You know what? That's okay. I really think that's okay. My brain is too spent to write anything super deep, so the following will have to suffice:

We are often told how big of blessings our children are and how much we should cherish them. And that's true. My kids are such amazing blessings. They bring me so much joy so often. They teach me so much.

So much patience. And self-control

Because sometimes they are being a right pain.

And I get frustrated  and have a hard time seeing them as blessings.

It happens. 

Parenting is hard.

Its okay to have days when you wonder if your sanity will make it through the day intact.
Its okay to go to Bible Study and Coffee Break just to see other Moms.
Its okay to look forward to any breaks you get from the kids.
Its okay to feed your kids hot dogs for supper because that homecooked meal you planned for this morning just ain't happening anymore.

Its okay to call a bad day successful, even though the house is a national disaster site, supper was hot dogs, and your one-year old is only sleeping because you medicated her with tylonol, babyoragel, and benadryl, because... GUESS WHAT! Everyone made it through the day alive.

Yup.

I had a "successful" day. Hows that for looking on the bright side?