I have always had trouble doing what I am told when I am told to do it. I have watched my dear daughter avoid following my pleas for chores to be done over the last few days. Not to the point that she wouldn't do them, but just waiting long enough that she could feel that she had the control over when she would begin.
Frustration... but I totally get it.
What I don't get is why I do the same thing when it is my own schedule? What is that? It seems as soon as I decide to take myself seriously about anything, I sabotage it and can't seem to follow the schedule I lay out for myself.
Even my menu planning. It is true, I can make a beautiful menu on my calendar, decide what to have and when, go out and buy all of the ingredients, and then it happens. I look at the day and decide I just don't feel like meat loaf today and I make Fridays meal. WITHOUT FAIL!!!
Awe, maybe I need to be tested for ODD.
But let's be real it IS odd.
So about a month ago just as I was beginning to get this blog up and going, I decided to make a plan. Wrote it out on my calendar, looked up how to have a successful blog.. and. then. stopped. writing!!
So here is the deal, I am not going to write on a regular basis. I am just going to write when I feel like it. It might work out that I write Mondays and Fridays, but maybe not. You may find that a routine develops, but whatever you do...
DON'T TELL ME ABOUT IT!!!
I hope you have a very unpredictable day! I plan I mean hope to!
I opened up my blog this morning wondering what I would write about. So many thoughts going through my mind, but none of them seem complete or enough to fill a post. I am also feeling a bit discouraged with the progress I am making with my ideals. Limiting screen time is proving to be harder then I thought it would be and funny, but the members of my family are determined to use their own agency and not follow everything I want them to do...hmm
Then I gazed over at my 101 goals down the side and noticed an amazing thing! There staring me right in the face are 3 goals all accomplished and I didn't even realize it!
As a parent I often feel like I am always playing catch up~ with house work, laundry, scrap books, laundry, meal prep, teaching important lessons to my children, laundry, losing those "last" 25 lbs., giving my children enough quality time and there is ALWAYS laundry... in most aspects of my daily life I feel like I am constantly running behind.
I think I have mentioned it before but one of my favourite books is Mitten Strings for God by Katrina Kenison. I like to read it every few years just to help me refocus on what is important and where I need to be placing my time and energy.
This work that I am doing as a mom is so important. There isn't anything else that fills this space for me. I had about 14 years of trying to fill the hole I felt in my heart before we opened our door to these sweet "Littles". Now it is full to over flowing and I am content and happy.
BUT that does Not mean it is easy and unless we are looking it is hard to feel very accomplished. Let's face it many a morning my hair doesn't get brushed until... well I have to leave the house. (Some days that is not at all!). Many times I realize way too late that I have goopy hand prints on the front of my shirt where some little one has reached up to get my attention. Quite often the music going around in my head is Wheels on the bus or the theme song from the big Purple dinosaur and Not something from the latest record charts. And as I am writing this, every door knob in my house is sticky or crusted over and there are dishes in my sink...
But I spent a little extra time this morning giving warm snuggles to a little one just waking up, I helped trace little hands with purple crayon on sheets of paper, I listened to my Dear Mackenzie share her plans for the day, I looked through a book order form with a sweet boy and got excited about his favourites, I helped the "Littles" clean up a big jar of buttons and enjoyed finding ones that were sparkly or a favourite colour and remembered the joy of looking through my grandma's button jar. I have enjoyed arms being wrapped around my neck in hugs and kisses and witnessed big smiles and giggles...
So Maybe, just maybe I am not as far behind as I thought!
I hope you enjoy finding the accomplishments in your day, I plan to!
I have a secret...
Halloween is not my favourite holiday.
The year that we all caught the flu and had to stay home felt a little bit like a blessing.
Having to come up with costumes and then taking these little ones door to door to collect poison, I mean candy by the hand full so they can spend the next couple of weeks whining and crying and throwing themselves on the floor in hopes to consume the stuff before 7am just does NOT add up to fun for me.
I know, Boo humbug.
I have tried everything, Offered a night out to the movies with a bag full of treats and popcorn, family bowling night, indoor waterslides... Nothing seems to equal the pull of dressing up and collecting free candy!
Thankfully it comes but once a year. And who am I to deprive these sweet children of mine of the highs and lows that sugar brings??
So we have our costumes ~No, they are not themed, unless Old McDonald's farm have a puppy and bumble bee who are attacked by a large green dragon, has a kind nurse who comes to mend everyone back to health and brings meals on wheels with her!! (Jacob and his wheel chair is covered with cut out food from the grocery store ads... Meals on Wheels!! oh yeah, it just came to me in the middle of the night!)
And Yes, some are wearing the same costumes as last year. And yes, My dear daughter has warned be of the trauma this may cause in the future when looking through the scrapbooks!But it was their choice and they still fit! Win- win! Right?
So, We will carve the pumpkins, we will go door to door and we will fill the hugest bowl in the house with all of the candy. I will be the one who eats the most and be moody for days to come because for some reason I seem to think the best way to deal with a problem such as this is to get rid of it!... By means of ingesting it... oh yeah, fun times!!
I hope that you enjoy your Halloween... I plan to try!
Boo humbug
