Angie's Discipline During Exceptions

Angie of Family Glue has a wonderfully creative idea to keep track of her state of mind during days/weeks when things are not going as planned. If you find yourself at loose ends all the time you should read this, it just might work for you! At the core, it involves moving a bead along a string for every event in a day that made you feel a bit out of the ordinary, whether good or bad, since even "good stress" may be something that takes a lot out of you.

I think my family would love this, especially my dh. He is very linear and likes tangible evidence vs. talk/emotion. So I've been thinking about how I can make this work here. Angie has 20 beads I believe, to last her the week. As I joked on the 4 real forums (as did some others) that would last me about a day! LOL Now *that* got me thinking that I either am doing something wrong, or am just at a naturally stressful time in my life and God is pruning me.

Here are some highlights from a very typical morning. According to Angies definition, these are things I would move a bead for. She even "double beads" when something is particularly stressful or a "one beader" stress causes something else to happen:

*baby up more than usual last night

*had to get up early to make an appointment

*plastic surgery consult to see what they could do about reconstructing the skin cancer sites on my nose (I would two or three bead this!)

*roads were icy and I found out later that I had missed not one but two different nasty accident sites by minutes (this is GOOD but a stressful thought - it could have been me and my children being life flighted to shock trauma)

*kids fighting in the car, not stopping when talked to about it

*baby screaming on way home (typical, but stressful)

*debating in my mind whether to call a snow day or get some work done

*figured out that one of my favorite staple food is causing problems with baby. So add sunbutter to the eggs, dairy, citrus, tomato, vinegar, chocolate, soy, peanut, tree nuts I can't eat.

*Baby fussing all day as he has been since birth and crying as I'm trying to read the Demi "St. Nicholas" book the girls begged for. I have to "shout" the book.

*Baby screamed in my ear for at least 1/2 hour nonstop as I'm trying to find an egg free cookie recipe. Two minutes after he finally, blessedly stops, my 2yo comes needing a diaper. I have to put him down. I try the swing, but my 2yo had snapped the straps all up and I can't gently get him in, even though we tell her ALL THE TIME not to mess with the swing. So I have to put him down, and the crying starts all over again. At least a two beader for stress that caused. This kind of stuff (the rotten timing, the 2yo causing "issues") happens all. the. time. here.

*have to write emails/phone calls to get child care covered for next week (two appointments - one mulit-hour procedure to remove the skin cancer, then another later in the week with plastic surgeon to "fix" it all. Cookies aren't getting baked, school isn't getting done.

*Does the house being a total wreck count? I can't find time to clean up - it's all on the floor and if I'm holding the screaming baby (even in a sling) he hates for me to bend over to drop to the floor over and over. And don't even mention the laundry and diapers.

*More fighting from oldest two. Oldest being extremely bossy today.

*Can I move 10 beads a day over for baby's constant screaming? It's really getting to me.

And this is just one morning! But really, it is oh so typical. Days like yesterday where things get screwed up but turn out OK anyway are so rare!

Tell me, are all your lives like this, or am I doing something wrong?

It's funny, I didn't write this to complain, or to get sympathy (I really don't want any) - but I do want to know if this is typical of other homes on a day in day out basis. 'Cause I really feel like I'm failing at this motherhood and homeschooling stuff when day after day is like this.

On that *cheerful* note, I've got to get the screaming baby out of his swing, where he was for his own protection because my stress level went THROUGH the roof with that last diaper incident.