Follow Up

I just want to follow up with how today went.  Maybe all of the stars aligned because Jackson woke up in a good mood and came home from school in a great mood.  However, the couple of times when he did lose his cool, I didn't.  I caught myself once losing it with Cole, but quickly changed tactics. 

What was better different about today?
1.  I started my day off with those affirmations.
2.  I knew that if I wanted to have a better day with my kids then I needed to focus on them and connecting with them, so I played with Cole and had Emmy right there with me when she was awake.  When I had chores to do, I had Cole join me and help me; when I was weeding the flower bed, he "helped" and played with the worm we dug up. 
3.  I was ready for Jackson when he walked in the door.  I had wrapped up all of my health coaching business before he arrived, and I had a healthy snack at the table for him, and we chatted about his day.  I listened to his celebration of his class winning their "Behavior Olympics" at school. 
4.  I focused on my kids even in the afternoon.  I played on the floor with the kids, took a walk in the sprinkling rain, and just was there, even if we didn't do much.  Dinner was a little delayed until Matt walked in the door so he could help out, but we were stress free.
5.  I avoided the electronics when they were around.  I was not perfect at it, and caught myself scrolling on my phone.  The remedy?  I turned it on silent mode and left it on the piano while we played so it wouldn't distract me and interrupt our time together. 

Tonight I'm going to bed in a complete opposite mood as yesterday.  Today has given me confidence that tomorrow can be great as well.  Today I believe I can find ways to be calm to and control my moods.  The days can be wonderful, and I can connect with my kids.  Am I naive enough to think that I'm "cured."  Haha!!!  No, but I'm looking forward to more "Not Even Once" days ahead and more often.