My Monday

Mondays. I don't think there is ever a Monday where I don't feel completely defeated by 1pm. Just today I have folded 5 loads of laundry, emptied a very full dishwasher, re-registered the car, taken out the garbage and cleaned 3 of the 4 rooms upstairs. It's 1:28pm, and I feel like throwing in the towel for the day because sadly, there are still 3 more loads of laundry waiting to be moved from the washer to the dryer and then the dryer to my couch where I will hastily fold them in an effort to get everything put away before Elle begins her gymnastics practice off my freshly folded piles. You have no idea how many piles are toppled to the ground during her donkey kick practice. ;)

It seems, and perhaps it's because it was a long holiday weekend, that everywhere I look there are small piles on the ground, table, counters, etc. Each pile is a constant reminder that little people live here. There are piles of markers markers and googly eyes on the craft table left over from V's morning art project for Ms. Leslie. There are stacks of tupperware lids scattered on the kitchen floor after a busy baby decided to rearrange the tupperware cabinet. And there were tiny piles of candy wrappers under and around the bed of a very sneaky 3 year old and her older sister accomplice.

Some days, the piles make me crazy--like my skin starts to boil kind of crazy. But for the most part, I have learned with time and lots of patience that messes are always eventually cleaned up and put away so the piles are just gentle reminders that my life is not my own right now. I am grateful for those reminders.

Too often we get hung up on the clutter that we forget who makes the clutter and the grins that must've adorned those squishy faces as they glued the last googly eye on that princess or as they shoved an unknown amount of candy into their mouths knowing they sneaked past mom. In my quest to become an optimist, which has its difficult days, I find myself laughing more than scowling when things aren't exactly as I would have them be. I have learned that kids have different ideas of how things should be, and they are never as I would have them. I was reminded of that just the other day as I watched the kids clump 4 or 5 ornaments on different branches of our newly-purchased Christmas tree. The ornaments were scattered throughout the bottom tiers of the tree and most of them were grouped together and weighed the branches down so much that the tree looked sad and ridiculous. It was a sight to behold. And no matter how much I urged the girls to separate the ornaments, they were certain the placement was correct and would not move them. Once they were in bed and before I quickly reorganized the tree, I snapped a picture of their work, and I smiled so big. They had so much fun that night, and I could've spoiled it by being me. I'm glad I didn't.

And so it is with life. I am learning to stop spoiling the moment in the moment because that is just so very pessimistic of me. Hahaha. And I am learning to enjoy the piles so long as they aren't piles pee-pee panties (because that's basically the worst pile ever) because I know the piles won't be here forever.