Here's my issue. When the house is a cluster mess, so is my attitude. When the "Do-It" list is filled with "do-its” that may be simple in their reminders, the task themselves often need blocks of "get it done" time dedicated to them and more than half my attention, I feel a bitter overwhelming. When my kids act in a way that makes me consider they may actually be the spawn of a Certain Evil, my patience is none existent and tolerance for anything and everything is gone. All these things stager through their rotation, but every so often, Life needs a good laugh, and decides to test me and aligns these annoyances to fall on the same day.
Unfortunately for me, on days like this, unlike my friend Stefanie, I'm unable to stop myself in the middle of my building frustrations, take a deep breath, and find life’s greater meaning refocused in the innocents of my children's eyes and rejuvenated reassurance in the comfort of my husband's embrace.
Fortunately, however, I have a few special tricks on bringing myself back into alignment that I've learned along the way and today, they were brought out in full force and I am thankful once again, I'm easily satisfied with the simplest of things.
Such as vacuuming with my heels on. When I'm easy annoyed I vacuum because it drowns out the sound of the kids crying/fighting/whining, but is also more productive than my less subtle turning up the radio and dancing around the room like an escapee from the physc. ward who is coming off her sedative medications.. This summer when I was cleaning out my closet I found the heels I had only worn once and thought it was a shame there was little chance of them every being worn again. Wanting to get a little more mileage out of them, I threw them on my feet as I continued to clean out the closet and found they not only helped me with my already horrible balance, but worked muscles in my legs I didn't realize I had, all the while giving me that sexy confident boost that heels give a girl. Heels are now the accessory of choice while vacuuming my floors and trying to eat up toes on a little boy.
Wearing heels also makes me slow down. I can't run around with unfocused thoughts wearing them. So I evenly strut around with semi-focused thoughts.
Giving the kids a bath. The kid's bathroom is right off the kitchen/living room so the boys can be in it, but I can get other things done. Calvin loves to take them, any funk he is in, is washed away with a bath full of bubbles. Joser is just now loving the excitement of splashing and because I do have to hold her while she splashes away, it makes me stop, replenishing my patience tank, with her and Calvin's deep belly giggles.
Snapple is my bottled happiness....
And then I escaped to my happy place... the kitchen... the boys and I assemble White Trash Chex Mix (politically correct titles are what I'm all about)....
I ate it until I was sick and then shoved some more in for good measure. To really make sure I left no room for an attitude relapse, I snapped a few pictures of the most beautiful bald head in the world.
Sitting here now, looking back on the day, Calvin snuggling by my side freshly entering a night of pleasent dreams, I know tomorrow will be different and the rotation of daily trials will once again become staggered.
Every day can't be filled with smiles and rainbows or the better day would go without appreciation, but I'm eager to say good-night to this day, tucking my "attitude pick me ups" in my back pocket for when I need them next.
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