Give your babies an extra hug today

We all have days when we get frustrated with our kids and they drive us to the brink of losing our sanity. At least of of my kids has to test my patience every day. Then, there's those days when you hear of tragedy that snaps you back to reality and all you want to do is hold your kids close and give them lost of hugs.

This week has been that way for me. Starting with the tornadoes that devastated Southern Indiana and ripped two towns to shreds and you hear of the lives lost, including young children. I think of the little one-year-old and how she was found in a field, her parents and her siblings all died in the tornado and then she lost her life a few days later.

That day, I know how nervous I was as the storms approached and my heart was pounding as I had my twins and the children that I care for taking cover and I had to be calm for them. The kids were scared, but I have them my iPod and put on some Taylor Swift and they were singing and having a good time very quickly. My nerves were about shot though until the sirens stopped. The parents of the children I care for where a nervous wreck being away from them and I had to be strong for everyone, calm nerves and keep everyone safe. Then I saw the destruction on the news and realize how fragile everyone's lives are and I was just so thankful that it never got near me and my older two came home from school and my younger kids were here with me and I was able to safely give the other kids back to their parents at the end of the day.

Then two days later, I learn of a mom in one of my mom's groups that has lost her son to a virus that attacked so quickly and without warning and now her youngest is battling the same virus. I can't imagine all that she's going through and I just keep praying for them. That's all I can do and it feels helpless. I ask everyone reading this to say a prayer or send a positive thought to this family.

I kept checking on my kids last night and thanking God for their health and they all were sleeping soundly and were healthy. Between my husband and I we have six children and all have had some kind of health issue when they were born or as a baby, but we are extremely thankful that we have six healthy kids. Yes, they can drive us crazy, but we have them to love and look forward to them all growing up. Part of me, wants to be overprotective and keep them from any harm that could ever come to them, but that's not realistic and that scares me. The only think we can do is to love and protect them to the best of our ability.

So give your kids a little extra love today, for life is fragile and precious.