Hello! To all my readers not on Facebook I wanted to share this link with you:

http://mommybabyspot.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/one-moms-story-of-discovering-happiness/

This is my story about my (not) Breastfeeding experience and the incredibly painful emotions I felt as a result of my struggle. While this blog post is directly about breastfeeding, it really is about so much more. Have a read…the take away can actually be applied to not yelling too. If I’m not happy then I am much more apt to yell and my kiddos are not much more apt, but guaranteed to be not happy! Thanks for reading and thanks Mommy Baby Spot for letting me guest blog and tell me story. It’s been weighing on my chest for 5.5 years and just sharing it makes me feel happier!

Happy mom, Happy Baby!

Zonked after trying so hard to breastfeed...

101 days of not yelling, 264 days of LOVING MORE to go…

Dear Disney,

Congratulations! You created such a smashing move in 101 Dalmations that whenever I hear the number 101, I think of all those cute puppies. And then often times I think of Cruella De Vil. The mean, awful wretch of a woman who didn’t just scare the puppies, but who scared the bejeezers out of me as a child. She was intimidating, angry, scary, rude and so much more. I couldn’t fully watch 101 Dalmations until I outgrew my fear of her. Which took a while. And she wasn’t even real, but oh was she nasty! Now that I am older, she doesn’t scare me, instead she scares my children. And not because they have seen the movie. But because I have acted like her. A lot. A lot more than I like to admit.  While I used to do a phenomenal impersonation of Cruella’s nasty voice, please don’t ever call me for a voice over. I’d rather never use that voice again.

Thanks for understanding,
The Orange Rhino

*

I haven’t thought about Cruella in ages. But now that I am doing this Challenge, now that I am on 101 days of not yelling, the imagery of Cruella De Vil has come back.

Huh? What is the connection? Isn’t The Orange Rhino Challenge about loving more? Yes it is. Stay with me. This is how my brain works: 101 Days à 101 Dalmations à Cruella à She was so mean and scary à Wow. That is HOW I used to be when I entered the Level 6 and Level 7 Yelling Zones.  Mean and Scary. Mean and Scary sounding. Mean and Scary looking. Just admitting I was that way sounds as ugly as Cruella looks.

Um, pretty certain I've looked just like that. Pointing finger and all.

And it sounds even uglier when my kids used to say it to me after I yelled.

“Mommy, stop yelling at us, you’re so mean.”

“Mommy, stop yelling, you scared me.”

“Mommy, I don’t love you anymore. You hurt my feelings.”

And the best one liner from my wonderfully perceptive 5 year old:

“Mommy, you don’t yell at people you love.”

Ugh. Thankfully I am now on 101 days of Not Yelling, of loving more, and thankfully these sayings from my children have ceased. (But have no fear, I am still sometimes told that they don’t love me anymore. You know, because I didn’t let them have three scoops of ice cream. For breakfast.)

And to be clear, lest you think I was a total Villain, I was not as horrific as Cruella (and neither are any of you!) She just comes to mind because I too was angry, intimidating, rude and scary when I yelled AND because I read on Wikipedia or something like that, that “Cruella is not a schemer. Instead, she acts purely on impulse and is thus prone to reckless behavior” and that was SO me.

I struggled with finding the impulse control to not yell. Yelling is SO easy. When I was tired, frustrated, moody, lonely, overwhelmed, fill in the blank…my impulse control went right out the window and reckless behavior, in terms of yelling/screaming came right in, without missing a beat. It never even knocked as a warning. It just came right in, unannounced. How rude!

Hello!!! I'm here! Mrs. Reckless behavior, ready to yell and be nasty. Hahahahaha!

Learning to control my impulses truly couldn’t come at a better time.

You see learning not to yell is more than just learning not to be scary, not to be mean, not to be rude. It’s more than just learning to be more patient, more calm, more understanding. It’s about teaching too, like teaching my kids about impulse control.

And right now, my kids really need me to be a better teacher, a better example, because they are all at the age where impulse control is hard as can be. Just today #2 pushed another kid at school. 75% accident. 25% not. The note from the teacher read:

“….impulse control has improved although has not been perfected.”

Hmmmm…seems like I am not the only one working at impulse control.

We are ALL works in progress. Even my kiddos.

I often forget that. I used to forget that A LOT and I think it was a big reason for my Cruella tendencies. Because I expected too much. I expected my KIDS to have perfect behavior an awful lot and when they didn’t, hellooooooo Cruella. “Get off that couch! Clean up your room now! Do what I asked you to do 5 times already!!!”

So on this 101st day I remember Cruella. I remember that I don’t want to be like her anymore. Because she is scary and mean and I want to be calm and loving…even when mad. You know, like a Fairy Godmother.

Bippity, Boppity, Boo! The laundry is done, the house is clean, the to-do is complete, the children are singing kumbaya, nothing to make me yell.

I mean an Orange Rhino…obviously!

As loving and calm as a Fairy Godmother, but more determined and strong, in a good way!

97 days down, 268 to go!

Dear #2,

I swear. I didn’t mean to snap at you today.  It’s just that well, I am exhausted. Despite all my efforts to get some rest, to get some resemblance of energy back, I am wiped. I took a two hour nap yesterday and got 8 hours of sleep last night. I ate all my protein and vegetables today and even drank extra water. Oh, and I went for two walks to “revive” myself. Yet here I am exhausted and snappy. I’m doing my best to be nicer to you and your brothers, to be more patient. I promise.

I love you,
Mommy Orange Rhino

*

Ugh. Parental Exhaustion. I don’t need to tell you that raising kids is physically and mentally exhausting. The not sleeping through the night, or the sleeping through but being woken at 5 am. The going up and down stair to get dry clothes because milk “accidentally” spilled. The holding a teething baby all day. The going to and from appointments all day. The being on my feet all day making meals, cleaning up meals, making meals again. The physically breaking up fights over who gets what train.

And then there is the mentally exhausting part. The non-stop worrying about whether or not my child is normal. The non-stop thinking about how I can better help my son. The non-stop talking to myself to NOT YELL. The non-stop talking to MY BOYS to not yell. The non-stop re-directing of their not so good behavior to better behavior. It’s all exhausting. And lately, it’s taking a toll.

The combination of physical and mental parental exhaustion is squashing my ability to handle my darling four energetic, loud, loving boys with as much poise and grace as I wish. Sure, I didn’t yell today and that makes me happy. And yes, I only snapped and it was luckily a level 4 but still. That snap made me feel awful.

Here’s the Scene.

Party City at 11:35 am approximately 25 minutes before lunch time. Three children have just had two chicken nuggets each as their stomachs were growling in the car and I knew that DESPITE the snacks they had at 10:30 that they were not going to make it to 12:15 peacefully. So we hit Wendy’s drive-thru. Nuggets for them, super duper extra large as can be Diet Coke for myself.

Not five minutes into Party City #2 starts in. “I’m hungry. I’m hungry. I’m hungry”

Me: “No you’re not.” I snapped and then luckily caught myself before a tirade started. I continued calmer,

“You just had a snack. And you had a snack an hour ago. You can wait 30 minutes.”

#2: “No, I am REALLY really hungry.” His voice is getting louder and shriller, enough so that people are looking and #1 is starting to cover his ears.

I purposely ignore him and continue looking at baby shower favors because I am finding it uber important to pick the perfect pink container, and quite frankly not only do I not want to be bothered, but also I don’t believe him. #2 is known for crying wolf when it comes to being hungry. Plus, I’m also ignoring him because we are trying hard to not cave into his whining, which is his preferred method of communication.

But finally, something in his voice sounded serious. Like I needed to stop being pre-occupied with my errand and focus on my son. You know that urgency you hear in a child’s voice right before he is going to throw up? Or the one where he is about to pee in his pants, in the middle of Target? The one that makes you stop everything and RUN?! That is what his voice sounded like.

I turned around. Oh my poor, sweet thing.

He was RED and I mean RED in the face. He was clenching his fists, clenching his teeth and trying so hard not to scream, not to have a tantrum. His eyes were full of tears and more were spilling down his hot cheeks. Here he had been trying so hard to communicate to me what he needed and how did I reward his behavior?I snapped at him which I am pretty sure ignited the very angry, very exasperated RED face.

Oh sh*t I thought to myself, I’m a schmuck. I didn’t snap bad but still, I snapped unnecessarily. I mean look at that face. So upset. So sweet. So loveable. So not deserving of my snapping because of MY exhaustion. Only deserving of my patience and love.

I scooped him up and gave him a huge hug.

“I’m sorry sweetie. You really are hungry, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I was trying nicely to tell you but you wouldn’t listen.” Sob, sob.

Ugh. I felt AWFUL. Just awful.

And I blame my exhaustion. Truly. I don’t blame him for whining. That isn’t what made me snap. Sure, it irritated me, but it didn’t make me snap. I let myself snap. I am simply 110% completely wiped out, physically and mentally, and as a result am snapping more and having to work twice as hard not to yell which of course makes me even more wiped out which makes me snap more. Sigh. It’s a vicious cycle.

And one of the first things I learned on this challenge is that when I am wiped, all bets are off. I have less self control, I am more impatient, more easily annoyed, more of everything but more loving. So I have been making the choice to put some things on the back burner (like blogging and folding laundry) so that I can relax at night and go to bed earlier, all so that I can be a more pleasant parent tomorrow, you know, all so that I can be an Orange Rhino. Lets hope my plan works because this exhausted state of mine? It needs to improve, like, yesterday.

92 days down, 273 days to go!

Dear Orange Rhinos,

I am doing something entirely new tonight. Normally, I write a blog post, read it a few times, try to edit it, and then I post it with hopes that someone will read it. Tonight, I have stared at my Microsoft Word blank screen for nearly an hour now. I have so much I want to write about. So many emotions that I want to share. So many insights I want to share. So many struggles that I want to share…that I am paralyzed. Paralyzed with fear that what I write won’t sound right. Paralyzed with fear that what I write WILL sound right and that I won’t want to read what I wrote. So tonight, there is no Microsoft Word. Tonight I am treating this blog as it should be, a dear diary. I am writing completely off the cuff. Whatever comes out, comes out. Let’s just hope it is decent.

…
The Orange Rhino

*
Dear Diary,

Tonight during the “Time to Toot Your Rhino Horn” on Facebook two people spoke about wanting to cry. Well, I share that sentiment. I don’t know why but this week, I just can’t get my mojo going and I too just want to cry. It’s too much. It’s so much. My to-do list is never ending. I know that I am supposed to prioritize and focus on the most important items, but what do you do when it is all important? How do you decide then?

Any to-do having to do with my children is important. Any to-do having to do with keeping me happy so that I can be a happy mom, is important. Any to-do having to do with my friends and family, the ones who support me and love me, is important.

So here I am. With a to-do list of all important things, doing nothing. Because I suck at prioritizing. Is it that, or is that it is hard to prioritize friends, family, children and one self? Or is it that there truly aren’t enough hours in the day, no matter how good one is at prioritizing? I don’t know. I just know that right now, this week, I am so overwhelmed that I am walking around in circles, doing nothing which obviously isn’t helping the matter. And well, it’s not that I am doing nothing. It’s just that my days are so FULL that there is little time to get to anything BUT the basics. Like taking care of the kids. Like getting them to Speech and OT. Like keeping them from pummeling each other. Like changing diapers. Like keeping #4 from flying down the two stairs from the kitchen to the family room now that he is crawling.

My day is full of the basics. And I need to accept that. I need to learn to accept that if I just survive a day in the life of raising my boys, then the to-do list can wait.

But is that true? What about all the guilt I feel about the friends who I cannot seem to get around to emailing? The friendships that I know I have lost as a result of deciding to have a large family which keeps me so busy?

And what about me? It is important to me to exercise. It keeps me from yelling. It keeps me feeling good about myself. Do I just stop exercising to make more time for the other things, the 75% of the items on the to-do list have to do with doing things for the people I love? How do I chose one over the other? How do I say, #3 is more important than #4?

I know it is feasible to figure it out but I DON’T WANT TO. I don’t want to have to prioritize. I want to be able to do it all. 

Again, when everything is important, how do you decide what goes first? Simply put, I have to choose between my husband, myself, #1, #2, #3, #4, friends, and family. I hate having to choose. Because all these people matter to me. And right now, I feel like all these people are getting short changed.

My husband, also a lover of inspirational quotes (I think that is what brought us together), shared this quote with me from a book about I don’t know what. Better time management?

“don’t schedule your to-dos, schedule your priorities.”

Powerful idea, but again, how do I choose between all the people I love, who are ALL my priority, when the day is so short? Because there isn’t enough time in the day. And there never will be.

Well, I guess that is one benefit of The Orange Rhino Challenge. Not yelling impacts everyone. I don’t have to choose.

My husband, #1, #2, #3, #4, and I, we all win, we all benefit from my not yelling. And that is why this challenge is my #1 priority. It makes me a better mom, which in turn makes me kids happier, which in turn makes our days somewhat easier, which in turn makes me happier, which means I am a better wife, which means I feel better about myself, which in turn gives me the strength to not yell.

It’s a cycle. Not yelling at my kids sets off a cycle of goodness that goes all around. Here’s hoping I stay on this path…and here’s hoping that now that I have figured out priority #1 in my life right now, that I can figure out 2-10!

80 days down, 285 to go!

(Okay, totally jumping the gun here, I still have hours to go BUT what the heck, if I can handle a physical ailment flair-up this week and still not yell (when I normally would have SCREAMED BLOODY MURDER 2-3x a day, on a good day), then I can go 60 more minutes of not yelling! P.S. Wrote this last night but it wouldn’t post. Let’s hope it goes up right now!)

Dear Orange Rhinos,

I wanted to share with you what I did last tonight, what took 90+ minutes to do but should have taken about 5. As a result I didn’t get to write the post I have wanted to write all week. I am *hoping* the tradeoff is worth it, for ALL of us. Everyone, please keep your fingers and toes and whatever else you can crossed.

One of our fellow Orange Rhinos shared an article with me titled “Discipline without Screaming” published in Parents Magazine last month. (I’ve scanned the article and shared it below).

As an article I enjoyed it. But it didn’t blow me away. Did it remind me of all the negative effects of yelling at my kids? Absolutely. Did it therefore remind me, and reinforce to me, why I started The Orange Rhino Challenge in the first place? Absolutely. Did it give me some new ideas to try to keep from yelling? Absolutely. Did it reaffirm my personal learning that I can’t just blame my kids, that I need to be in control “of my emotions in the moment”? Absolutely. Did it comfort me to read that 89% of Americans say they yell? HECK YEAH! So nice to know we are all truly not alone. Did it inspire me to keep going with The Orange Rhino Challenge even though I want to quit? Double Heck Yeah.

BUT, what would have really inspired me, or really helped me more, would be to read about what REAL MOMS are doing to discipline without screaming. It is great to read what the experts suggest, but do they have kids? Do they know it works? Who knows.

What I do know is that The Orange Rhino Community DOES KNOW what works.

And that is why I love OUR little community that is growing. We are real. We are honest. We are the ones in the trenches figuring it out together. We are willing to admit the good, the bad, and the really ugly. And by sharing it with each other, with STRANGERS, we are helping each other. We are collectively responsible for making lots of little kiddos lives better. Which is just plain awesome.

I like to think of us as the Erin Brokovich’s of Not Yelling. People liked her because she wasn’t an attorney, she wasn’t an expert. She was just someone who cared and wanted to make a difference. That is what we are. None of us (at least that I know of) are experts on this matter, this not yelling at our kids. We are experts, however, in being honest about wanting to change, wanting to be better mothers/fathers, wanting to make a difference in our children’s lives. What gives us the credibility to talk about not yelling? Because just like Erin not only are we genuine but also we CARE PASSIONATELY about our kiddos. And that is what matters.

So I think WE should be the ones writing the article. We should be the ones sharing the ideas on how to discipline without screaming. Because personally, I think collectively our stories are truly inspiring. Why? Because we aren’t just talking about changing, we are trying to change. We are saying to each other, okay, this is hard, but let’s try anyway, and let’s keep trying even if it is hard and we do slip. BECAUSE IT IS WORTH IT. Our kids deserve our best. Whether that means we don’t yell at all or whether it means we yell 3 times a day instead of 7.

Am I discounting the experts? No. There are some fantastic points in the article about why yelling doesn’t work, what negative impacts it has both on our kids and what we teach them. I am just saying that we are a kick ass community with some great ideas worth sharing.

So tonight I wrote Parents Magazine and told them just that.

And I am really, REALLY, hoping they didn’t just hear me “Toot OUR Rhino Horn” loud and clear, but that they also immediately realized and agreed that we would have something wonderful to share.

Here’s hoping!

*

Here is the article, scanned old school! The last part in the car reminds me of this post I wrote: https://theorangerhino.com/watchout-shes-gonna-blow/. Curious to know, what do you think of the article?

72 days down, 293 to go!

Today: April 19th (I think?)

Blog written: February 2, 2012 – a few days before I got into the “no yelling” groove. Why this post? Why now? I was searching for an old post I never polished or shared to post tonight while “staycationing.” When I read the line about being a better mother I thought it was perfect given last night’s guest post.

*

Dear Kleenex,

I really needed you today. Thanks for being there for me as I struggled to do seemingly innocent things such as put away baby gear. I couldn’t have done it alone.

Sigh,
The Orange Rhino

*

Wow. Massive emotions are flowing today. Packed up the bassinet part of the Pack n Play. Moved the changing table out of my room.  Pumped only 3 oz at morning pump instead of  7. It’s official. I am getting ready to close the chapter on “having a baby under 6 months.” And boy is it SAD. Sad. Sad. Sad. Sad in a way that has me so distraught that I can’t even think of a better, more powerful word.

My nose is tingly, my eyes are watery. They’ve been that way all day. It’s just outright sad. We’ve always said (my husband and I), and all my friends, that when I stopped having babies I was going to have a mid-30’s Crisis. And they were right. Having a baby has defined me for the last 6 years. Getting pregnant, being pregnant, being sleep deprived. Getting over sleep deprivation just in time to get pregnant again and continue the process. 4 kids in 5 years will do that to you. But I wouldn’t change a thing. Except now, the time has come to be done and it scares me.

Enter this Challenge. This is my baby. I am hoping this will keep me from feeling the emptiness that I know is ahead.

That it will keep me focused on being a better mom to the 4 kids I have – not thinking about the 5^th that I know I will not be having (most likely).

But let’s get real – there is still a crisis ahead. I know it. Like when all my friends get pregnant with their second in a few months, the tears will come. A lot of them. And then when they all have girls. The tears will really come. And then when those beautiful babies are born so small and delicate and perfect. Then I’ll really wish I was pregnant again. I just love the hope that comes with a new baby – something to look forward to, despite all the crappiness going on in the world.

But I know we, at a family of 6, should probably stop….it’s best for us. And it’s more than I ever could have dreamed of. I didn’t know I wanted a big family until I met my husband. We both come from families of 2 kids and then one day we watched the movie “The Family Stone” and we both knew it. We wanted that. We wanted the big, crazy, chaotic fun-loving family. We wanted our kids to have their own built in friends. We wanted our family to make big family gatherings big without having to ask friends to stand in as uncles and aunts and cousins. So we had three kids. And then we decided we would have four.

And now, we’re both saying we’re done.

But yet I haven’t donated the baby clothes that don’t fit anymore. They are packed away neatly in the attic, as if by habit. And the pack-n-play will go through the same ritual. And my husband won’t make “that drs appt” to make this officially over. We’re just not ready to say we’re done. And I’m okay with that.

But please, don’t ask me if I’m done.  And if you do (because everyone does), when I say “yes, but I’m not ready to admit it” please don’t say “Well good because 4 kids is a lot already.” This is my life. Thank you very much. Yes it is stressful at times.

And yes I yell more than I would like
But I also love a lot more than I ever could imagine.

And that, my dear strangers who feel the need to tell me I should stop having kids, is something that always trumps the stress. Always. And that my dear readers, is also why I am doing The Orange Rhino Challenge.

Because I love a lot more than I ever could imagine.

*

Fast forward 75 ish days. The sadness is still there. I still have not hit the emptiness, but I still have the sadness of knowing that my child-bearing days are probably over. Why is that? I wish I knew so that I could move on. That’s a lie. I know why. I am just too afraid to admit it. To myself and to anyone.

*

P.S. I sit here debating whether or not I share this post. Because I know on the surface it kind of makes me look pathetic. It’s easy to say “Hey Orange Rhino, wake the … up! There is nothing to be sad about. There is not emptiness to feel. You have four beautiful, healthy, wonderful children. Cherish that.” If only it were that easy…

71 days down, 294 to go!

Dear Orange Rhinos,

Here is the 2^nd guest blog this week as I continue my “staycation” with my family. I thank my dear friend who has been a supporter of The Orange Rhino Challenge since day 1 for taking time out of her very busy schedule to write for us. And I thank her for her honesty – both about herself and about what the Orange Rhino Community means to her. Enjoy. I know I did,

Cheers,

The Orange Rhino

*

The Orange Rhino was a bit surprised (editor’s note: FLABERGASTED more like it!) when I asked if I could be one of her guest posters.  She said, “But you don’t yell, right?” and this is correct.  I am not much of a yeller at all.  This is for purely selfish reasons; I am averse to loud noises and generally dislike drama.   And yet, I read every post of hers, click on every Facebook status update, and read every single one of her readers’ comments.  Why? Because I love my children, and I really love hearing the words of other parents who are doing their best to be better parents.  We’ve all got issues, and while yelling may not be one of mine, I still have plenty of areas in which I could improve my parenting.

I get inspired by being a part of the Orange Rhino Community… this is a hard task that all of you have taken on, and I respect each one of you for the attempt- even if it is only day three for you.  Anyhow, on to the “meat” of my post:

I struggled for years to get pregnant the first time, so when I became a Mommy seven years ago, I was in total bliss.  My daughter was my entire universe from the moment she was placed in my arms.  When I found out that I was expecting again shortly after her first birthday, I was extremely surprised and delighted that it had happened again without medical intervention, but I had these secret nagging worries that I would never, ever be able to love my second child as much as I loved my first.

There just didn’t seem to be enough space in my emotional landscape for that.

When an early ultrasound revealed that I was in fact expecting my second AND THIRD children (fraternal twins,) that nagging worry turned into a not-so-silent panic.  As my belly grew larger and larger (I kid you not, it was an EPIC belly- 54″ diameter just before I delivered,) I felt that I owed my oldest an apology for what was about to happen to our neat little mother/daughter bubble that we had been living in… and I mourned the loss of that bubble with a vengeance. (Editor’s note: glad I am not the only one who ever felt that!)

But time marches on, and before I knew it, I was a mother of three children under the age of 2.  Harumph.  I’d love to write about what those early days were like, how I came to terms with the new reality, and how I slowly but surely bonded with the twins and watched my love expand to fit all three kids… but anyone who has had newborn twins will tell you that there is a blur effect that takes place, blocking out all but the occasional snapshot of the first six months.  So, I have no idea how it happened, but I know that by the time the twins were old enough to sit up on their own, my emotional landscape had grown to accommodate the tremendous love that I felt for all three of my children.  Every storm cloud has a silver lining, and as I sit here thinking about how soul-crushingly hard those early days were, I have to admit (now that they are in the past,) that it was the best thing that could have happened to us as a family.

My children are best friends and wonderful playmates for each other.

As a parent of a 7 year old and two 5 year olds, my life is less concerned with the logistics than it was in the early days; the children eat, sleep, dress themselves, eliminate waste, and amuse themselves more or less without a great deal of effort on my part.  However, now that they are older, I have had to up my parenting game significantly…. because now, they are PEOPLE: each one unique, each one with thoughts and hopes and dreams and fears and circumstances that they need to deal with as they move through life.

And I am their guide.

The awareness that how I handle things in life is the main example that they will learn from as they mature is nearly paralyzing- because I am deeply flawed.  I have a short fuse, I am rigid and easily annoyed, I am bossy and a know-it-all, and sometimes, my sense of humor is unkind.  What if they end up flawed like me???

So.  While I may not have an issue with yelling, the Orange Rhino Community is my place to remind myself that I want to be a better person, so that I can be a better mother.  As the Orange Rhino has pointed out numerous times, knowing your triggers is a good place to start, so I attempt on a daily basis to recall those elements that make me struggle (stress, not enough rest, and relationships…to name a few,) and I do my best to be intentional about how I handle those challenges- because my children are watching me, and they deserve my very best effort.

*

“I want to be a better person, so that I can be a better mother….and I do my best…because my children….deserve my very best effort.”  This is certainly a sentiment I can relate to, in fact it was the main driver behind starting The Orange Rhino Challenge. My children deserve my best effort. Period. And while I can only do so much, as long as I have given this whole parenting gig my best effort, as long as I have TRIED, then I know I won’t have any regrets. Even if I am not perfect. Notice how my friend uses better, not perfect? That’s perfectly put. It’s not about being perfect. It is simply about trying our best. Doing what we can.

And I can tell you, my friend is doing a pretty bang up good job. Both as a mom, and as a friend. Thank you for being my friend AND for writing.

68 days down, 297 days to go!

Dear ChiWei,

Thanks for asking a great question! You might not like my answer. It is going to sound hokey and unbelievable and well, weird. But the truth is the truth right? I hope my answer is helpful and that it encourages you to give T­­he Orange Rhino Challenge a try.

Cheers,
The Orange Rhino

*

Question:
If you (The Orange Rhino) don’t yell, how do you let out those emotions that a nice scream-fest would relieve you of?  I mean, not yelling for a year is some serious business, and that can be some serious festering!

Short Answer: I don’t let out those emotions because believe it or not, I don’t feel them building up anymore!

Long Answer: Read below!
I started to write a response and then I realized I needed a graph. Seriously, you would think I am a mathematician based on how I see things in chart and graph form. Anyway, I hope that this line graph answers your question.

Isn't it pretty and fancy?!! ha!

Believe it or not, right now I have little to no festering going on. Yup. You read that right. Little to no festering going on, so not a lot of need to release emotions. But it was NOT always like that. The level of festering has gone up and down, mostly driven by the lack of release, just as you identified. But per the graph, I think my “fester” level will be pretty low, if not zero, from here on out. Why? What changed from start to now?

All of this happened…

Days 0 – 2 of Not Yelling: Hard. As. H*ll. Period. No other way to describe it. Not yelling was exhausting. At the end of each day I had nothing left in me. Absolutely nothing. I was totally spent and frazzled from talking to myself ALL DAY LONG reminding myself to use my indoor voice, to try whispering, to be more patient, to do this to do that all to ensure I didn’t yell. All the talking in my head was enough to make me want to scream! Despite the mental exhaustion (which is why I rated these two days at HIGH) I didn’t miss yelling. Not yelling was too new to have any festering going on. No release needed.

Day 2 ~ 2 weeks of Not Yelling: No room for festering, only feeling fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. I had a natural high growing rapidly from the pride and satisfaction of controlling myself, from the improved behavior of the boys, from the greater sense of calm in the house. This natural high easily covered up any built up stress from not relieving said emotions via yelling. That, and there is this great Orange Rhino Challenge Community 😉 that kept “listening” to me every time I wanted to yell. So I guess I did a little releasing in that way, but otherwise, again no need to.

2 weeks ~ 4 weeks of Not Yelling: Hello Reality!
This would be approximately the time I started yelling into my closet, into my garage, into the fridge. Yup. Yelling at anything that didn’t have feelings and yelling wherever/whenever my boys weren’t around to witness it. Why now? Why did I start feeling the need to release now? Because the honeymoon wore off and the reality hit. Not yelling is a lifestyle change and it is HARD work. The pressure of trying to keep it together, to not yell, was intense. The initial high had disappeared, although still came in spurts throughout the days, and I just wanted to quit. But I couldn’t. So I yelled at inanimate objects (that was my “out” if you will). And sometimes I stomped my feet. And I felt better. And it brought me the release. For a while.

4 weeks ~ 8 weeks of Not Yelling: Kickboxing anyone?!
I am not sure, when, how, where or what happened during this time period but not yelling simply became habit.  I was over the hump! I lost all desire to yell, both at my kids and at my clothes, it just wasn’t fulfilling anymore (read here). On the outside, I had it all pulled together. Nope, no tension to release via a scream-fest here. But then one day WHOA! My husband said to me: “Babe, you need to take kickboxing or something, anything, you’ve got some serious tension growing!” He was right. I had actually just looked into kickboxing the day before.

8 weeks ~ 10 weeks of Not Yelling: Much smoother Sailing
I didn’t take up kick-boxing but I have made exercise a priority as I find it is my release. And heck, it is way better than yelling. Yelling doesn’t burn nearly as many calories or help my jeans fit! So the substitution is definitely worth it. Between exercising and not yelling, I am less tense, less angry, less worrisome, less everything negative. I truly feel more peaceful and at ease with myself, my parenting, my life AND I feel much more in love with my kiddos.

You see, as I have learned to not yell, I’ve learned to be more loving, more patient, more calm, and more understanding of my kids and their “annoying” actions. As a result, the kids’ behavior is actually LESS frustrating to me which means LESS (no) yelling which means LESS (no) festering. Seriously. So I am not really finding the need to release pent up emotion as much. Because it doesn’t exist.

That said…there are moments when I feel frustration just starting and then I immediately do some of these odd tricks to ensure the feelings don’t grow and have no place to go but out, via a scream!!!

PUSH-UPS. If I know that I am going to lose it, then I drop and do push-ups until I feel better. I know, it sounds funny but it is a double win, quadruple actually. It makes me feel better (releases endorphins or something like that?!), makes my arms look better, it makes me kids stop and go WTF is mom doing which defuses the situation AND sometimes it even makes them want to join in which makes them feel better too. Sometimes instead of push-ups I do wall presses, jumping jacks, or stomp my feet. (The latter is really good at getting a marching band going with you which absolutely  defuses the situation.)

MUSIC Nothing like a good ‘ole fashioned dance party to fun music (Girls Just Wanna Have fun?!) to get me moving (more exercise) and smiling.

FACEBOOK Seriously, sometimes in the heat of the moment just typing it out on The Orange Rhino Challenge FB page brings me release. It’s like I took the stressful moment, typed it out (sometimes rather aggressively, for sure) and sent it into cyber space never to be seen again. And if writing it out doesn’t release my stress from not yelling, then just being on The Orange Rhino Challenge facebook page will. Because it brings me peace by reminding I am not alone in this struggle. Seriously.

65 days down, 300 to go!

Dear Mean Man at Smashburger (story here),

I had words for you a year ago and I have words for you now. I am no longer going to let your past meanness make my stomach turn every time I drive by Smashburger. I am no longer going to avoid eating somewhere I want because of my embarrassment from yelling at you. I am no longer going to be afraid of running into you and having to relive that awful encounter we “shared.” Why? Because I found courage to overcome those fears. So prepare yourself to be seeing me again. I know I’m ready, are you?

Peace,
The Orange Rhino

*
1 man. I was afraid of running into 1 random man for 12 months. 12 months. That’s 365 days of ridiculousness and numerous missed opportunities of enjoying a good greasy burger. I know that is a wee bit dramatic but you get the point. I let fear, a pretty irrational and easy to overcome one, keep me from enjoying a good thing. And I didn’t just miss out on the burger. Every time I drove past Smashburger and mentally relived that horrific moment I lost touch with the current moment. I lost touch of a moment that I could be enjoying. And since I am awesome at dwelling, I lost touch of other moments later in the day too.

Yeah, I have issues. I get that.

I get that normal people wouldn’t let some things a stranger said get to them for 12 months. But what can I say, the fact that he picked on me when I was vulnerable, sad and frustrated because I didn’t know what was wrong with my son, the fact that he picked on my son when he too was vulnerable, sad and frustrated, well it just hit a nerve.

It hit a nerve so hard that I couldn’t let go of it for 12 months.

Until today.

Today I found the courage to go into Smashburger and get those fries I wanted a year ago. After 365 days I found the courage.

And where did I find said courage?

The Orange Rhino Challenge.

How you ask? That doesn’t make sense. What do not yelling and courage have to do with each other?

Oh so much. It took major courage to admit to myself, to my family, to my friends, to the cyber world that I yell too much. And it took major courage, perhaps even more, to decide to change and stop yelling at my kids, because in doing so, I knew I was taking on a very difficult challenge. And I was, and still am, desperately afraid of failing and reverting to being the mom who I like, but don’t always love because she yells. But I needed to take on This Challenge, for my kids and myself, even if it was going to be hard, even if I was afraid.

And so it donned on me yesterday, if I can find the courage to start this challenge, and go 65 days without yelling, then I certainly can find the courage to go into a silly fast food restaurant and buy some fries. And I can even run into the mean man if our paths are meant to cross.

Because, now, 1 year later, I am an Orange Rhino. I am a mom (person) who has the energy, determination and STRENGTH to forge ahead and exist with more composure and warmth (and certainly without the yelling)!

I am a mom who has the COURAGE to change. I am a mom willing to admit I was being silly. I am a mom who CAN do something she didn’t ever think she could do in a thousand years.  Whether that means not yelling at my kids or going into Smashburger. And I am glad I have changed. Not just because I finally got my fries (which of course didn’t live up to my expectations, perhaps because victory of overcoming my fear tasted better?) but also for this reason.

I didn’t go to Smashburger for an entire year because of how badly that experience made me feel. One man’s nastiness when I was vulnerable, sad, and frustrated made me feel that way 10x over and silently impacted my life in little ways for a year. (I know that sounds silly, but it is true. Gosh did I get a sinkin’ feeling in my stomach every.single.time. I had to drive by en route to the grocery store.) I felt all this tension and I am an adult.

So, imagine how my kids felt when I used to yell at them when they were vulnerable, sad, and frustrated???

When they just wanted to be loved and held and told it was alright after I stepped on a favorite toy they left out and my foot broke it? When they just needed love, not a snide lecture, when they didn’t want to go to bed because they were scared of monsters but couldn’t explain that to me?

Imagine how I made them feel. Imagine how long they feel, not felt, that pain? I know kids are supposedly resilient and forget but still.

Just sayin’…. Food for thought.

So I am glad I have changed. I am glad I found the courage to do this Challenge and I am so glad I have found you all, The Orange Rhino Community. The Community that has supported me via Facebook messages, by reading my blog, by sharing themselves. You might not realize it but you helped me find the courage I needed to achieve this today:

Notice the fries are almost all gone?! Or are you too busy laughing at my "cover up" attempts to stay anonymous?! Either way, I DID IT!!!

See? I actually did it!!! I wasn’t just writing about it! I walked right on in, head held high, and bought my fries. Yes, I surveyed the restaurant over and over for Mr. Mean. Yes, I had a few butterflies in my stomach. And YES I feel GREAT. In fact, I am still giddy.

Because today I Smashed a fear. I heard it Sizzle out and disappear. And then I Savored the moment. I savored how great it felt to have the strength and courage to do something I was afraid to do, to do something I didn’t think I could do. It. Was. Awesome. Kind of like realizing that I’ve gone 65 days without yelling at my kids, something I never thought I could do, something I never had the courage to do. It. Is. Awesome.

64 days down, 301 to go!

Sorry there is no post tonight. I had big plans, gigantic plans for posting tonight. And then life happened. And I am okay with that. I have to be. Because if I let it get to me, the disappointment in myself for not posting, then I’ll be cranky. And if I am cranky I’ll yell. And that I will not do. Not when I am 1 day away from 300 days remaining! Not when I know I can survive as a mom without yelling.

One of my personal rules for not yelling: Self Awareness. Know your triggers and treat them with respect 🙂 One of my triggers is being pre-occupied with feeling not good enough, not doing a good enough job. Well tonight, I am not letting that trigger win. I will not be set up to be cranky. Instead, I am going to focus on feeling good about having self awareness.

Please check back in tomorrow. I will definitely be posting.

The Orange Rhino