3-9-11 Perspective

I had a revelation about perspective this morning. Well, not exactly a revelation, but an affirmation of something I’ve known for awhile but just now came home to me again. Last night before bed I was tired due to a long busy (but good) day. Nothing wrong with being tired if you’ve worked hard and accomplished a lot, even if it is only winning a game of Go Fish, right? Well I did a lot more than that, and by the end of the day I’m just DONE. The family room was trashed, and I wasn’t about to pick it up because I DIDN’T trash it. I have 7 or so kids who trash it and THEY are very well going to pick it up, right? Nothing major, just a few Duplos that got missed, a couple of card decks with their rubber bands across the room, a brush/comb that Jewel used on my hair awhile (and she was long in bed), a few socks, Kleenexes, crayons that got missed, a coloring book, loose papers, etc. No big deal, but I’ve been accused of being a neat freak, and maybe I am. I have this thing about messes. Messes are great as long as they’re being used, but once they’re abandoned, I get irritated. For example, Marbleworks or Duplos all over the living room delights me as long as at least one child is diligently playing with them. But when that last child leaves the room and it becomes an abandoned mess, then I’m very quick to call all troops who have touched said set. “Either play with it or pick it up.” And I’m fine with either choice, but an abandoned mess grates on me, maybe because I full well know that the NEXT set will be strewn about the NEXT room, and I just don’t function well in such an atmosphere. A trashed kitchen is fine while we’re working, but I don’t let my cooks walk away and leave a mess; they know k.p. is as much a part of baking as sticking the pan in the oven. A fault maybe…perhaps I should be more laid-back about messes, but alas I’m not wired that way. My mind is always racing… cluttered with things to do, needs to meet, lists to make, noses to wipe, discipline to mete, people to call, places to go, phone calls to make, lessons to give, math facts to teach, and so on. For some reason, a messy house somehow seems to add to the clutter in my mind; when things are picked up, I’m calmer and better able to manage life. Anyway. Back to today. When I got up this morning, after a refreshing night’s rest, the family room was exactly the same as it was last night. Did it bother me? Not one bit! Three minutes later it was tidy again, and only then did I remember my irritation of last night. What had changed? Perspective, that’s all. What changed my perspective? Rest. That’s all! It’s not a profound thought, but it does have profound implications. Sometimes after lunch when my energy is low and I need a second wind, a 20-30 minute rest does wonders. I lay down in my wonderfully quiet room on my wonderfully cozy bed with my wonderfully soft pillow (yeah, I know, just like a queen; I’m very spoiled)(aren’t we all?) and just enjoy the solitude. After I set my timer, I always start out praying, knowing that if I need sleep I will fall asleep. If not, I still have that time of quiet rest which is so refreshing.

Moral of the story: when Mom is tired, and molehills look like mountains, REST. Rest changes perspective. Amazingly.

I’m not exactly sure what they were doing here. Mixing up cookies, I think.

Duplos are still popular…18 years now and going strong (pricey? maybe, but well worth the investment).

Tallest water sprouts.

Yesterday we got the girls’ room done.

 

Fun for all :)

 

Oops!

We’re going to try this for awhile – Jewel’s pretty excited about it so we’ll see how it goes. Kate moved to the top bunk, and she’s happy about that too.

OOPS!

It wasn’t as bad as it originally looked – only 13 eggs had to be pitched.

And today we started on the school room; we hope to finish it tomorrow. What better way to spend a gray rainy March day? My helpers are highly motivated to get ‘er done before the nice days come. Who wants to be cleaning when spring comes??!

 

 

Sarah’s Snap-Art.

And that’s it.