Set back

I didn't blog yesterday but I was really excited that I got through a full week with out yelling. I was sailing on high.

Then today happened.

Honestly, I'm not even sure what level I was at but I think I have to reset to 0 and I'm a TOTALLY bummed. It almost ruined my whole day since it happened early but I decided even if the rest of today won't count I still have to stick with it.

Everything was going great. I got up, took Logan to school, came home and was working out, and then IT happened. I was doing my Xbox Zumba and the boys were in and out being irritating instead of working out with me or playing like they are supposed to. Then came Jameson, he had to go poop. That one was an emergency, he can't go himself and so I had to rush over and help him. Shortly after Wyatt started pestering me. I had told him to go take his pull up off and get dressed and so he needed help getting his shirt off, then he needed help with his underwear and then he needed help with his pants. I couldn't get the stupid Xbox game to pause like it's supposed to so I was missing out on a lot of steps and thrown off my rhythm. I kept telling him to just go play and I would help him when I was done... Then he started telling me he needed me to put his socks on. I told him no, he didn't need socks and I would do it after, I was done helping him until my work out was done.

So here is where I get confused. I wasn't really at a level 3 because I could tell that I was angrier than what that level calls for. A level 3 according to theorangerhino.com is

The firm voice (potentially raised). This is the I am starting-to-mean business voice accompanied with occasional raised eye brows and introduction of idle threats. Signs: you are still calm and there are no hurt feelings, but you’re wondering when (not if) you’re gonna snap and you are growing impatient, quickly.

And I definitely was NOT feeling calm. But it also wasn't a level 4 which says

The “oopsie” snap. Stop! Alright! Ouch! This snap is starting to get nasty, but hasn’t gotten there yet. It isn’t a long tirade, it’s just a quick sharp voice where you stop yourself…it’s just enough to make the kids stop what they are doing for a second and think whether or not they will continue annoying behavior. Signs: blood pressure is picking up a little, but you are back to calm quickly and think “oh sh*t I really didn’t mean to do that.”

Because it was longer it seems to be more fitting as a level 5. A level 5 is

The nasty snap. Darnit! Knock it off! Cut it out! This snap might be short, but it’s filled with venom. Signs: blood is starting to boil inside; vocal chords are warming up, preparing for a long tirade; you think to yourself “oh sh*t” was that a nasty snap? If you think it, it was.

At the same time I don't think it was actually a NASTY snap, it felt, to me, in between a 4 and 5. It was an oopsie in the way that I really didn't mean to do it but it came out in several sentences. I would just hate to start back at zero if it is a level 3/4 but I just don't think it was a nasty snap either.

I think I need some input on this one... So what do you guys think?

Energizer Bunnies

Please, someone, explain to me how these kids can still have so much energy after 3 hours of playing around and being up over an hour past bedtime?!

Clearly I didn't give birth to children. I have a house full of energizer bunnies, obviously.

But! BUT! With all their obnoxious little boyness (yes, I know it isn't a word) I managed to keep my voice calm and not yell at them. Let me tell you, that was REALLY TOUGH with the way CJ acted at tball practice and even harder when he gave me attitude when we went to cub scouts for Logan.

When we got to cub scouts the boys wanted to get a drink and Logan walked over to the room and so did CJ.... I thought... When I had made my way with the littles to the room I looked all over and couldn't find CJ! He is normally very good about going straight in so I started to panic a little. As it turns out he had gone into the bathroom, but not the ones that I had checked in the room, the ones out in the hall. When I told him he had to tell me when he goes somewhere other than where I expect him to be his response was "NO!"

Uhm, I am pretty sure I did NOT ask a question.

He got to spend the better part of the night next to me until he could apologize. Which, if you know CJ at all, is a nearly impossible task. But he did and he got to go play finally.

So of course cub scouts ran late and in stead of getting home around 8:30 we didn't even leave the building until then. So here it almost 10pm and I'm only about 20 minutes into bed time. Only.20.minutes!! I've been averaging an hour and a half so.... This pretty much is going to suck.

At least the older two are quiet... Hey, they may even be sleeping already, although how they can sleep through all this noise is beyond me.

Bottom line is that I am really proud of myself. I have to raise my voice a little still, they don't listen to me 99% of the time, and I want to pull my hair out of my head at bed time, but I have done really well and for that, I am proud.

Here is to day #6! I am determined to make tomorrow a full week of no yelling!

Sucker

Wow, I thought it was a trying day yesterday. WRONG! They are wearing on me hard right now. I am taking a breather before I lose it.

It's my own fault though, and I know it. I let them, and myself, have a lazy day. The TV was on all day and I didn't enforce going out to run around (and I really should have, it was gorgeous out today) and then I had the brilliant idea for a movie and popcorn before bed, ya know, because they were so well behaved today. :/ Of course they got really restless and I eventually had to turn the movie off and send them to bed. I gave them more warnings than I probably should have too before enforcing.

I really need to get better about that.

So we sprayed for monsters, got hugs and kisses and tucks, and no one is in bed. I closed the door so I could breathe. Then I hear them spitting, a HUGE no-no in our house. I stormed in there and it took everything in me not to loose it. I just went right up to them, starting with the oldest, and told them they needed to stop. Now they have stopped spitting but I can hear ALL 4 playing.

This is when I am really at a loss.

What do I do?! Telling them it's bed time doesn't work. Tucking them in again doesn't work. I know screaming and yelling at them doesn't work but at least that gets them moving and into bed for a few minutes. It's a school night and they need to go to sleep! Do I just leave the door shut and let them scream and play around? Hope they finally go to sleep on their own? The past few nights have been going so well!

I am hoping that I can make it through and today will be ORC day #5.

In the mean time any suggestions at this juncture of bedtime would be greatly appreciated!

ORC day #4

What a trying day! But... I did it!

Today it was CJ pushing me. He had a game today and I was so excited that his daddy could be there to watch him today. His game on Thursday was AMAZING! He told me that he was going to he great again today. He started out a little rough by not paying attention the first inning when he was in the outfield but nothing too major... Then came their turn for batting... I don't know WHAT happened in the dugout but somehow CJ got skipped. Honestly, from what I could see and CJ's account, it was completely the adults fault. Either way... When it comes to CJ all it takes is one thing to set him off and the activity is ruined. He was a miserable little brat the next inning in the field and even worse the next time at bat. He finally hit but hardly ran and of course lost his mind when he got tagged out. I was so huffy we left very quickly and I got an email from his coach that he had wanted to talk to me about what to do in those types of situations.

If only I had the answer.

But hey, I didn't yell at him!

Even more amazing... The boys have destroyed, yet again, the toy room. The floors are covered in Legos... Guess they climbed up and some how got them down off the top shelf to "play" with. ::sigh:: I am really starting to hate Legos.

So they were given the task of cleaning the up mess, just the oldest two since they were the two to make the mess. You would think at 5 and 8 years old they would be fairly capable of this task. They are, in fact, not. Or at least they aren't unless I sit there and watch them and remind them every 2 seconds they are supposed to be picking them.

Luckily we had a party in the evening so that saved the day. They seem to be really awesome when we are out at certain places and this was one of those places. Then we came home, snacked on some of their goody bag treats and then had a movie and popcorn! Unfortunately all the jumping and running around didn't wear them out enough. Now Wyatt is really testing me with his screaming.

At least the monster spray seems to be working and he isn't crying about being scared of the monsters climbing out of his wall.

It really is the little things.

Monster Spray

So here we are on the Orange Rhino Day #3! I did it! I did it! Today was pretty easy since it was Friday and after school we go straight to the park and spend the majority of our day with friends and eating snacks.

Here I am again though, probably posting my win too early. All 4 boys are still awake so there is always a potential for yelling, but I think I can get through it since we took care of the monsters.

Ah, yes, the horrible monsters that plague Wyatt and have spread to torturing the other boys at bedtime as well. I promised Wyatt last night that I would get some monster spray to keep the monsters from coming out of his wall. I had seen (on SuperNanny) that if you put some water and some lavender oil in a spray bottle it was a great monster spray. Well, I don't have an lavender oil but I did have some lavender scented fabric softener so I put a tiny drop of that in with some water. After our story I tucked the boys and let them spray a few sprays around their bed while they said a little spell. They loved it.

Monster Spell:

Monsters, Monsters, stay away!

I'm going to get you with my spray!

Yeah, kinda lame but it's what came to me lol

Hopefully the monster spray will keep those mean monsters at bay and work for a while.

Now if I could just get these boogers to SLEEP!

ORC day #2

Wow! Did I really make it?!? I guess maybe I am calling it a little early as I am still sitting here (at 9pm) struggling to get the 2 littles to quiet down to sleep, but so far I only yelled at the tball game and that was to cheer on my awesome baseball player! I didn't yell at Logan when I noticed that he had cut holes in his jeans. I didn't yell at Logan when he lied that he couldn't find his homework and had in fact hidden it in the closet. And I'm not yelling now.

For now I sit outside the boys room listening as the 2 little boys alternate between discussing and acting like monsters. And then racing to go potty. I know typical bedtime suggestions are to not let them go once they have been tucked and you have taken care of that before bed (which we do) but when you have a potty training 2 year old and a 3 year old bed wetter we like to encourage always going when we need to. Granted, they are in pull ups just in case, but I'd rather them go in the potty then sleep in pee.

Anyway... Enough with the potty tangent!

Here I am, an hour after I tucked the boys into bed and 2 still awake and I haven't done more than raise my voice slightly! YAY me! I have actually found that this has helped me stay calmer. I just have to keep it in check and not let the desire to scream at the top of my lungs get to me. I think the boys were happier today too, evidenced by the way CJ did such an amazing job at tball (another HUGE struggle). I really have to make this work, I just have to! Not just for the boys well being but for my sanity! There has to be a better way and I am finding it.

ORC day #1

Well, day #1 of making it with no yelling! Yay me! But I don't know if it counts since I wasn't even home most of the day. I worked so I didn't really even see the boys until after 3:30pm. Then again, bedtime is my worst time and even though they were ridiculous tonight I held it together.

Tonights bedtime show consisted of the following:

My older two weren't even as good as usual with the 5 year old kicking his feet around in the air and the 8 year old making some random comment about nothing or sitting up and trying to read in the dark at 8:30.

The 3 year old was all over, as usual, making silly noises, rolling around in his bed and dangling his head over the edge. His antics prompted the 2 year old to roll around and get out of his bed and apparently he had the need to act like a monster, or maybe he was an angry gorilla? He was squat stomping in the middle of the room alternating arms in the air and making some strange noises. I wanted to laugh but had to tell him to get back in bed... the rest of the night he wasn't so funny. Just getting out of bed and running around and racing back to bed when he realized I was looking at him.

But I didn't yell.

So I guess that's a start.

Tomorrow will be the real test. The hubs will be at school and then work so I'm alone all day. Add to that carting the boys to a tball game alone too and I might be nuts before bedtime even rolls around.

So here's to hoping that I make it to day #2!