One of my most favorite times of the day is just after the children have gone down to sleep for the night. I breath a sigh of relief and soak up the stillness and quiet of the house. My evening in now free for me to do as I please. I can eat what I like without the children eating from my plate, I can listen to my music and watch what I would like on the TV. I can read a book and actually concentrate without having someone talking in my ear or asking me a million questions and I can use my Ipad or computer without being harassed by my small person, and all the parents of small children said AMEN!

When my little boy comes down the stairs after I have put him to bed to tell me that he cant sleep I feel my heart sink. My lovely evening has just been interrupted. I just want to tell him to stop being silly and to go back to bed and lay there until he goes to sleep but all it takes is one look at his sweet little face and I melt. How can I possibly say something harsh to him and then send him away to bed for the evening?

I am reminded of the verse to not let the sun go down on your anger. I am reminded that my words can speak life or death in an instant, so I pull him onto my lap for a cuddle and a kiss and I pray with him that sleep would come. He goes back to bed with his little love tank filled up a bit more and he can now sleep in peace for the night.

This parenting gig is hard sometimes and it is the little things that send us over the edge and anger and frustration begin to bubble and rise to the surface. We are not all perfect but all we can do is try to be better then what we were yesterday.

I am thankful for His mercy which is new each day and for my forgiving and loving children. In our little family we can accept each others faults and mistakes because we can see in each other that we are trying to be better than what we were the day before.