How Do You Keep Your Cool?

 You! loss your cool...Never!!

So I go on Blogger to save my template and it tells me there is a virus scan error.  I try a couple more times and get the same results.  So I go through the procedures of what this error means and how to correct it. Only to run into more complications that I don't understand.  Then Windows starts acting up and suddenly nothing is responding except for my frustration.  And I never solved my original problem.  My frustration mounts and I am at my breaking point because I can't seem to fix this. So I start thinking, well I'll just reinstall Windows.  Except I can't remember how to do it.  After five attempts, I finally put everything down and walked away.  This was not the time to start on something as important as the operating system, when I felt like my head was going to explode.

 Who said that?

And that's just how my day started.  Little things through out my day kept my frustration fueled like a torch.   

While fixing dinner, I decided to play "find it" with Chance and Blaze.  This set off a dominant jealous tirade from Zappa and Fiona who then attacked the door the separates them from Chance and Blaze, with a round of threatening barks that didn't stop.  Usually I intervene on the side I'm at, but I still haven't completely been able to rid these four from fighting at the door and this time nothing was working. No matter what Zappa keeps egging it on, my frustration is at  it's peak and I open the door and yell at him to "KNOCK IT OFF!!"

I don't remember much of what happened after that.  I had scared the Front Dogs and Zappa still wasn't giving up very easy.  This went on and off even after hubby got home and throughout the evening.  Some days are just worse than others.

So while I should have used this moment as a wonderful teaching moment, I lost my cool instead.  Usually my mantra for these situations is "it isn't the dog's fault for      (bad thing that is happening to me)    " and I can stay relatively cool and not take it out on the dogs.  But today I just lost it.

Another trick I use is looking the dog in the eye and really focusing on them.  I know they aren't trying to get on my last nerve...so if I make some eye contact then I usually calm because they are usually just excited about something like the squirrel that just ran across the yard.  Not having anything to do with interrupting my concentration.

 Ahhh, the joys of being a mother!!

So how are the ways you keep your cool and calm?  What tricks have you learned to keep your center when your world is all crazy?