Life Wrapped In Pink: snowing patience

I spent at least 20 minutes dressing these girls and convincing Tula she really needed all these layers only for her stand screaming at the door in 3 minutes because she really just wanted to wear tights INSIDE rather than play outside.

A huge perk to my husband spending my 30th birthday in 2 ERs (another story for another day- he is fine and well now) was that he stayed home the next day to enjoy the first snowday of the week with us. Ivy loved to have him home to play outside with her!

Well, snowflakes have been falling and temperatures have been dropping for the past 4 days with no relief giving me a week off of school for my birthday week. Snow days. I love them! Huge perk of being a teacher. A wonderful surprise to wake up to. Memories are made at home with my little ladies. But for the sake of keeping it real in this space, I wish it were snowing patience rather than snowing snowflakes this week. This week I have had to count to 10 (or maybe 1,000) more times than I care to share, spoken in a whisper to say "I feel like screaming", and busted out in random song to tell my girls for the seven trillionth time to please stop arguing! SO maybe it is snowing patience in the form of "let me give you some practice" rather than dishing out this character trait by the truckloads.

Nothing like a snow day, or a week of them, to practice having patience and to really challenge me in my quest to not yell for 365 days. This week has been good for the most part but sometimes when I sit down to write I just have to reflect on the struggles first to get them out and that's where I am today. Have I yelled? Nope. Have I felt like yelling? Yes, approximately 32 times each waking hour of the last 4 days. Being cooped in the house is challenging especially when my girls like to get out and go, and that isn't so easy with ice covered pavement, a tiny baby, and a mama that is afraid to drive or even walk out in the elements. So I have tried to overcome these feelings and accept the practice for patience time that God is giving me.

What's working?

* We are eating breakfast together. Tula likes to eat RIGHT when she wakes up, Ivy likes to wait until nearly lunch to take a bite of breakfast. So I end up making breakfasts and cleaning up breakfasts for 3 hours- testing my patience- yep. So we've met in the middle and are eating one time!

* No TV time until I need to take a shower in peace. By this time the girls are usually a little tired of toys and each other, and if it's been kept on lock down all morning they are ready for a little veg time and Joss is taking a peaceful morning nap.

* Quiet time in unison. I think I mastered the "everyone's going to be silent for at least 30 minutes.... simultaneously" skill that is a must of mom's with more than one child. Ivy has quiet time (Thank you, Rainbow Loom!), Tula takes a nap, Joss takes a nap, and Mommy has Bible study time to remember that even in Esther's time it was tough being a woman.

* No more multitasking.... writing an email takes 35 minutes if it is in between taking care of baby dolls, singing to Joss, and breaking up fights over baby cradles..... writing an email takes 2 minutes when all children are playing nicely or better yet, sleeping nicely.

So this afternoon, keeping it real, that days at home can be trying, but I have survived and am practicing patience knowing that these days are fleeting. Little kids, little problems.... at least I don't have to worry about them trying to get out an drive on these roads or go out and do donuts with their friends in an abandon parking lot. Not that I have ever done that.... never. Little kids, little problems, and thank you, Lord, for snowing patience on me.