time for patience

Looking back on tonight's events:

sleep deprived children, overtired mother, father off to camp for a week... 

sleep deprived children, overtired mother, crying children, crying mother.

(doesn't get much better after that).

       and reviewing the ugly bedtime battle....

I wish, during the worst of it, I could have somehow pressed *pause*.

Stopped time.

Held myself back, taken a deep breath.....

and THEN proceeded with caution.

But Caution, like self-control, and patience; is a virtue I still struggle to find in my

(limited) emotional tool-kit.

Tomorrow evening, when things begin to look like another bad t.v. rerun... I should just try lightening up (hey guys, you want to eat your entire tube of toothpaste? sure why not? I do that too occasionally when I can't sleep)...

or better yet, call for backup (who could resist that pretty face).

{** Bought this book because I loved the title...but sold it at a garage sale before reading it. Mistake?!?}