The Screaming Banshee!

Well, it has officially happened. I am the screaming banshee. As the child of screamers and spankers, I swore off both activities when I became a parent myself. I have kept both of those promises until recently. I still don't spank, but the last 2 nights in a row, I have been the screaming banshee. A little background: for the last 4 1/2 months I have been, effectively, a single parent while my husband worked full-time swing shift and studied for the LSAT. From the time I got home from work at 11:00 am, I was alone with my 3 little men until about midnight. For a while, I really had it together: chore schedule, menu, evening routine with the kids... but since we had houseguests a few weeks ago, all the careful planning has gone to hell in a handbasket. My 2 older boys, Brandon and Nathan, aren't quite sure what to do. Last night, after asking them about 20 times to please clean up their toys, I let it rip and hollered at them. My 4 and 2- year-old looked at me, dumbfounded, before bursting into tears. The thing about yelling is that it doesn't make them obey, it's just an immature way for ME to release MY frustration. Once I calmed down and told them that the toys would all be going in the trash if they didn't pick them up, they dutifully put their things away. Also, how can I expect them to treat each other nicely and control themselves when I am setting such a bad example? But, I did what I could to smoothe things over. I apologized. I told them I was sorry for screaming at them and that I would try to do better, which was something my parents never did. When they were sayng their prayers later, Brandon blessed me to 'talk nice.' Hopefully, I can remember that little plea and keep myself in check. :-)