Morning Normalcy

A random sampling of things said in our household this morning:

• We don't spray Logan with the water bottle.
• We don't drink out of the water bottle.
• We don't lick sister's skirt.
• We don't use the brush on the leather couch.
• We don't put dog toys in sister's backpack.
• We don't lick chocolate off the booster chair.
• We don't put soda in our cereal.

If you couldn't guess, this was all directed at the middle one.  This kid keeps me on my toes!

Gratitude 4/26/13

(Some highlights from this week.)

1. The middle one has hit the stage where she voluntarily tells us all she loves us.  Out of nowhere she'll come up to me, wrap her arms around whatever body part is accessible and say, "love you momma".  Sometimes followed up by a "so much".  I love you too, little one; I love you too.



2. The biggest one is playing soccer this spring.  She plays her little heart out.  The team is less experienced than most; the coach a senior in high school -- doing this for his senior project -- with no coaching experience, and no clue about coaching 6 year olds.  She doesn't let it stop her.  At practice she listens well, does what the coach asks and does not goof off during downtime.  During games she gives 110% for the entire 35-45 minutes she's on the field.  I'm so proud of her excitement, enthusiasm and desire to learn new things.



3. The littlest one is able to grab things on his own accord and bring them to his mouth.  This makes entertaining him much easier, especially when I need to work on dinner or do something for one of the girls.  It's wonderful being able to give him a toy and lay him on the floor or prop him up in the bumbo.



4. The new vet clinic we're using offered to help me to the car on Monday.  Wrangling 50-pounds of blind dog, the baby in the carseat, and two older kids is no easy feat.  A simple offer of help is greatly appreciated.



5. C took the girls to soccer practice last night and let me stay home with the baby.  An infected tear duct in my one eye means no contacts for a few days and a very sore, irritated eye.  As much as I missed watching practice, it was nice not having to go out in the wind and bright sun and end up with it more irritated.

One-Touch Rule

When we bought this house in 2006, it was the perfect size for our newly expanding family.  Our house in Provo was just under 1000 square feet so it felt like a huge upgrade to move into something closer to 1700.  I marveled at the extra space and all the closet room I was going to have.

Three kids and a business later means we have way exceeded the capacity of this house.  Our closets are beyond full, causing me to constantly get creative with storage solutions.  I have more storage containers and shelf baskets than one home should probably have in an attempt to hide/store the mess.  

Our home isn't fancy by any means but I feel like it always looks so much nicer when it's clean and tidy.  So I try my hardest to keep the clutter to a minimum.  I've found myself lately just moving stuff from one cluttered spot to another to save time (setting stuff by the stairs to take downstairs, clearing off the counter but putting stuff in piles on the kitchen table counter to put away later). 

A couple of weeks ago I was reading somewhere about the one-touch rule and I'm working hard to implement it here in the house.  In theory you touch an item once.  If you pick something up off the counter you take it immediately to its final place, no setting it down somewhere else to be put away later.  Business stuff immediately goes downstairs and gets put away; clean laundry is put away immediately instead of sitting in the basket at the foot of the bed.  It often means I'm running up and down the stairs (what feels like) a million times a day but I think it is making a difference in the clutter.

Now if only I could get the other members of the house to participate!

Gratitude 4/16/13

Yesterday was a tough day -- easily one of the most challenging days I've had as a parent -- so it wasn't an easy task to sit down and clear my head last night

1. Amidst the anger and frustration, I kept my cool in what was one of my most challenging moments as a parent.  I didn't yell, didn't lash out with over-exaggerated punishments to reflect MY anger; my response was calm, yet firm



2. I have a friend who "gets" it.  She understands what so many other people don't. When everything looks so polite and well-mannered on the outside, anger and ugliness can still lurk within -- sometimes explaining that to people is tough because all they ever see is the good, they can't imagine the bad.  It's wonderful to have someone who doesn't need an explanation.  To have someone who reminds me that I can do this.



3. We avoided the pre-dinner whirlwind of chaos that occurs when I'm simultaneously trying to get dinner finished, supervising toy clean-up and table setting and tending to a fussy baby.  Foresight on my part meant homemade chicken noodle soup (crockpot), fresh baked bread and warm brownies for dinner.  All ready to set on the table at 6pm with little work in the hour beforehand.

Being Thankful

A few years ago, upon the recommendation of my therapist, I started a "gratitude journal".  At the end of the day I would take a few minutes and write down 3 things that had happened that day I was thankful for.  The purpose was to help me focus on the things that were good in my day, instead of dwelling on the bad.

Following suit with most of my journaling endeavors, I kept up with it for a couple of months and then as life turned around it fell to the wayside.  My little one brought it to me this morning, urging me to "read, momma, read".  

As she gleefully jumped on my bed I thumbed through the pages, letting my heart absorb the words scrawled across the the paper.  I realized how important that time really was to my day -- not only to give me a chance to decompress from the chaos of life but to sit and express gratitude for the blessings I had been given, and often quick to overlook.  I realized that I need to find that time again amidst the craziness. 

I need to MAKE that time again.