Just a BlinkProof Time Flies

My days are all blending together. Thank goodness for my breakfast meal plan or I’d have to really question what day I’m living in.

Parks, meals, tears, farts, laughs about farts, more meals, toys, worship, books, worries, prayers, kisses, sleep, putting sleepy kids back to bed after sneaking in my bed, folding oh.my.word. the folding, joys, finances, time shared…

You get the idea.

I have big mushy life ingredients that mash together in a soup of treasured memories, present day routine & dreams for the future. Fluid yet chunky & good for the soul. Yes, I did just compare my life to soup. Can we move on now? Okay.

Some days stand out. You’d think it was the important days like the State Fair or Christmas. But, it’s always the ordinary days that stick with me.

• Like the time we declared it a pajama day and went to bed in the same p.j.s that we had on all day.
• When Molly found the tooth paste and used it as “paint” all over the bathroom walls, floors and doors.
• Or the time we spent every quarter we find in the van to buy ice cream cones at McDonald’s.

Yesterday was one such day. It started like any typical day (see the beginning of this post).

Then, we went upstairs to begin weekly allowance earning chores.

Ryan got right to work. Molly wandered in and out of the rooms, helping with chores, whenever she felt like it was her turn to use the squirt bottle. The babies slept.

Bathroom clean. Check. Bed made and stuffed animals straightened. Check. Laundry put away. Check. Extra helper chore. Check.

Next, it was time for errands.

After the babies were awake and fed again, we scurried toward the van in five different directions.

1. Ryan went straight for his bicycle and rode around the driveway.
2. Molly tried to find her shoes, bless her, she could only find one shoe of every pair she had.
3. Claire rolled around on a blanket in the entryway.
4. Leah rested, next to Claire, trying to put her thumb into her sister’s mouth.
5. I went to the kitchen, even though I had declared it was already time to leave,  to pack a lunch and pour more bottles. I had just realized it was already noon. Hungry babies and kids + errands in the van = not bliss.

In the van. Check. Can I please put “Get In The Van” on my to do list just so I can cross it off?  WAIT! Where’s my coffee? Oh yea, my to-go mug was on a shelf in the bathroom. Not sure when or why it was put there. None the less, I fly back upstairs to grab it, then, of course, reheat it in the microwave.

Two bank trips. Drive through, of course. The first bank was out of stickers and suckers. Really? Where is the manager? Is there not a Walgreen’s down the street? Buy some. Customer service these days. Of course, I don’t complain to the kids.

Instead, I try to bellow to the back of the van, some lesson to Molly about not getting a sticker because, “Little mouths shouldn’t say big hateful words!” (like, “I hate my car seat!”) Meanwhile, telling Ryan that the next bank will probably have a sucker for him, without letting Molly realize the only reason she’s not getting a sticker or sucker is because the first bank was out off them.

The second bank dutifully sent two suckers through the tube. I was sweet-talked into handing them over with promises from my kids to, “Never be mean their whole lives, to me or each other, ever again!”

Off to the park…part 2 coming soon.

Love,

Jess

Proverbs 31: 25 a

²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity

Wake up. Splash water on my face. Feed someone. Kiss someone. Dress someone. Brew coffee. Wipe something. Remind someone. Hug someone. Drink coffee. Remind someone again. Feed someone else. Feed the first someone again. Wipe something else from yesterday. Hide in bathroom. Check email from my mobile phone while hidden in bathroom. Splash more water on my face. Reheat coffee.

Really Wake Up.

Then the day starts. Some point between wiping someone and wiping something, I dress myself with strength and dignity. When my feet hit the ground each morning, I want all the evil forces out there to say,

“Oh, crap! She’s up!”

But where does it end? How will I get through another day of life with my circumstances?

Will I  rumple into a ball from defeat? (rumple is like an ishy way of making a ball)

Will I ruffle into a ball from success? (ruffle is like a pretty way of making a ball)

Cause let’s face it, I’m going to end up in a ball. Preferably, a cozy place, next to my husband in front of a good movie or my laptop computer screen. Remember, I said my days are long? Falling into bed is not a figure of speech in my life. It’s the truth.

Let’s look at today. Some funny, strength growing things happened today. pause. I knew this would happen. I can’t remember the specifics about today. pause again. pray.

I’ll be back tomorrow with a look at my day. I am too rumpled and ruffled to write.

Love,

Jess

{The following post was inspired by Sarah’s post from the blog Clover Lane.}

My days might look like this:

Clean clothes to fold (3 full loads per day)

Kids to direct (too many “get off your sister” and/or “stop yelling” directions to count)

Dishes to wash (2 dishwasher loads per day)

Outdoor toy sprawl (one garage stall space full)

Ah, yes. Diapers! (5-6 changes a day X 2)

But, my life looks like this:

My days are numbered but my soul will live on forever. – JEM

Things no one ever told me before I became a mom:

• I’d catch spit up with my bare hands.
• I’d wear a princess crown for more than 2 hours after dress up time was over.
• I’d learn how to clean melted red crayon out of my dryer.
• I’d laugh so much at my kids, I’d cry.
• I’d consider a well made grilled cheese sandwich one of life’s greatest accomplishments.
• I’d see my baby grow before my very eyes.
• I’d wonder what life would be like without kids.
• I’d feel my heart actually grow larger.
• I’d never be the same.

Love,

Jess

I’m a visual learner.  I’m a visual brain stormer.

When it came time to put together some ideas about my blog redesign, I whipped up a collage to help me brain storm.  I created the image below at a cool site called Polyvore.

(Polyvore is a website that uses collective images to create fashion, interior design and art collages.)