Choosing to be nice

Today I worked really hard.  This morning the kids were really good helpers too.  They all did their jobs, and helped with some that they aren't assigned.  It was this afternoon, that their pent up energy got the better of them.  And me.

I had cleaned and vacuumed the family room today, only to come in at one point and find Cinderella tearing apart Styrofoam on the floor, with Guy standing by.  Lets just say I wasn't happy.  I told them they could revacuum the floor.  To which Cinderella, quickly insisted her innocence and claimed it was all Guy.  At this point I let my temper get the better of me and yelled at them, that I didn't appreciate them making a  big mess of a room I had worked so hard to clean.  They never did vacuum it.  I will have to do something about that tomorrow.

I then went to feed Baby, and when I came back into the room, they had dumped out the contents of my laundry basket all over the floor, and were using the basket as a way to trap one another.  They would take the basket and turn it over on some one and then sit on top.  Well once again, I wasn't happy, and I let them know it.  I raised my voice and yelled at them, told them I would throw away their toys if they don't leave my stuff alone, and then sent them all outside to play.

I knew I was in the wrong as much as they were, and that I needed to fix my attitude.  I wanted to get some buckets full of water and go out and start a water fight.  But I didn't.  Instead I got the buckets, took them outside, filled them with water, got a couple sponges and started them playing a relay race with some of the neighbor kids.  At this point Cinderella looked at me and asked, "Did you decide to be nice?"

I realized that just as I always tell my kids, you can't choose what happens to you, but you can choose how you respond.  I need to do a better job responding, so that I can teach them the right way to respond.  But I guess choosing to be nice is a start.  Right?