Finding My Marbles

Part of recovering my lost marbles means learning how to deal with my kids.  Don't get me wrong, they are good kids....no great kids, but sometimes they just make me crazy.  It is SO hard not to completely blow a gasket.  Today, for instance, I was at Sports Chalet with Sam and the kids.  We needed to get a watch/stopwatch for Sam and they had some good ones on sale.  While Sam is paying for his fancy new watch, I peruse the nearby racks marked "Clearance".  Anyone who knows me KNOWS there is no way I can walk by a clearance rack and NOT take a look. Anyway, as I was sliding hangers this way and that, BOTH Oliver and Lulu ran up behind me, pushed me and sent me flying and falling into the rack.
This is after a day of "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, MOMMY! Mommy, Mommy" then jump on Mommy even after she says "Yes" because somehow "Yes" isn't YES unless it is followed by their name. "MOOOOOOMMYYYY" in my ear. And this was the nice part of the day- I won't get into trying to get them to clean up their room which had been ravaged by Hurricane Oliluluver or Oliver refusing to eat lunch and demanding dessert at a restaurant, or Lulu insisting we have ham and that we are just really bad at looking .....I don't know what is up with my children lately but they have been quite unpleasant.
My assignment to myself is:
1. Learn how to effectively communicate with my kids so that they actually listen to me.  If they do not listen to me, try not freak out and pull my hair out.  Hopefully I will not be bald in 2012.
2. Learn how to breathe and take a moment when all my buttons are punched at the same time. Calm down, be rational. It is better not to speak in tongues at them because they really don't understand.
3. Try not to take everything they say personally. Remind self that they are little. They really don't know what the fuck they are saying half the time. "I hate you" doesn't really mean "I hate you" it just means they really don't like me for the moment that I am not letting them have their way. 30 seconds later they have moved on.
4. Learn from my kids that after 30 seconds, one should just move on. Forget it- there is so much more to think about and do!
5. Try not to let other annoyances during the day taint my time with my kids or effect how I treat them.
6. Take more time for myself away from the kids so that I am less burnt out and therefore a better mom.
7. Positive feedback for positive behavior.  Try to pay attention to the good behavior more then to the bad.
8. See number 4.

Maybe I'll add to this list but for now these are the things I am focusing on. There will be blogs to follow describing my advances.
Notice how I didn't write failures? I am being positive! Blowing sunshine up my own butt.

Game on! (Sounds better then "assignment").
Little clear spheres full of color and swirls, corkscrews and eyes, rolling and clinking as I fling you with my thumb, may I find you so that we may have another match.  As with many children's games, new rules will be devised all the time, and each "assignment" may have it's own version that might be customized to the emotional environment at the time.
I draw my circle in the sand so the new game may commence. Bring it (my) baby(beez)