Count Your Successes

The last two weeks were pretty hectic having family in town.

I love spending time with my family, and Milani goes NUTS playing with her cousins!

The kids had reached that point just beyond the honeymoon phase...

You know...when they start fighting over everything and anything?

Yep. That phase.

So for the last two or three days that my sister's family was here,
my child had been acting a bit cray-cray.

Like more cray-cray than I have ever seen her act.

Thursday was the hardest for me.

However, looking back on the day as a whole, I am incredibly impressed with how I handled it!

Especially in comparison to how I would have handled it say, even a few months ago!

I don't remember yelling- success!!!

I have said before that I used to be a little bit of a "yeller". But not anymore, folks!

And for that I am very proud!

There had been quite a bit of berating over those last few days that we were entertaining family.

WAAYYYY more so than any regular day where my child is not around her cousins.

I may have snapped a couple of times...

But! I do know that I was able to curb my crazy emotions...for the most part- success!!!

I only had to put my child in time out twice- success!!!

I took 10 minutes to lay on my bed, close my eyes, and do deep breathing exercises to get myself in check! And it worked!- success!!!

So even though there may have been 100x more berating and scolding than our average day.

And more time outs than an average day.

And a couple of melt downs on my daughter's part.

And a need for solitude and deep breathing on my own part.

I'm counting my successes!

Because even though last week was harder than usual,

it was still pretty great!

I am proud of how I have improved as a mother, and am thrilled to see that I am growing!

So to you other improving mama's- when life is getting hectic, and your child starts acting in a way that you do not even recognize her, and you start losing your shizzz- count your successes!
See how you are improving and give yourself a pat on the back!
Then resolve to do even better the next time!

Photo Credit: Alicia Cram Photography