Keeping it Real

Lest you think life is all celebrating and roses around here, let me tell you about yesterday. It was not a joyous, I-love-being-a-mom day. I spent most of the day looking for one moment to like--not love--like.

The morning started off fairly routinely, aside from one meltdown from Evan about wearing socks. He told me they were squishing his feet, which meant he couldn't  breathe. Not dramatic at all. I came back home, threw in a load of laundry, and went about my morning routine.

Then the day went south. When I went to move the laundry, I discovered someone had left gum in a pocket. Gum was now all over the clothes and washer drum. I wanted to cry. I got as much off the clothes as I could, pretreated the rest, and used ice to scrape the inside of the drum.

While the clothes were rewashing, I set about cleaning the house...and found permanent marker on the toilet seat. The kids had been coloring on balloons, and the ink transferred from the balloons to their hands to the seat.

Repeat the laundry process again, removing a little more gum.

I then attempted using, in no particular order, Scrubbing Bubbles, Soft Scrub, Magic Eraser, nail polish remover, bleach, hair spray, and dry erase marker on the toilet seat. The marks are lighter, but they are still there. I think they are staying.

Repeat the laundry process one more time.

As I was sweeping all the mulch and mopping the red clay off the floor, I was in a real funk. Sometimes, I just get so tired of the cleaning. I wanted to be doing my career work, but it just wasn't in the cards, and then the emotions got overwhelming. I felt so guilty! I should be grateful that I have a job that can wait when gum happens. I see my prayer post-it of really sick kids, adults fighting cancer, relationships struggling. In so many ways, I am so lucky. Then I got angry! I should let myself be grumpy and pouty. It was a bummer of a day! I was d.o.n.e. I just wanted one glittery moment--and not the one where I found blue glitter of an unknown origin on the back of one of my kitchen chairs yesterday. (It is still there, by the way. It might eventually come off...maybe.)

Finally...finally...I got my moment. After ballet, Issa wanted to practice the circle part of her ballet number, which meant she needed a circle. As she taught the three of us this piece of the dance, we were all giggling. Watching Daddy attempt a leap and Evan attempt a tendue was priceless. It was the laugh I needed.

And the rest of yesterday is almost funny this morning--almost. By the time I read this years from now, I'm sure it will be...I might even miss a little mess in the morning.