Ever had one of these moments?
He was walking down a little hill in the back, lost his footing and you guessed it, face-plant in the dirt! Was he mad, but I couldn't resist as he walked by with Phil to snap this photo. Does he resemble a certain evil leader from the past?! HAHAHA Anyway, this morning I was losing my mind with my house. There is stuff EVERYWHERE I go. It's a nice house, we are SOOOO happy, but it is small for all of us to have hundreds of things strewn about. I would love to get rid of half of our belongings and I think I just might do it one day while they go off to Grandma and Grandpa's. It would be so refreshing to have them have just the right amount of things to be ABLE to have a place for them and know where their things are. I digress, so I was having this moment of frenzy as Emi was getting ready to leave for school and I started snapping at her to clean up her stuff to which she replied, as she ALWAYS does, "But this makes me tired. Cleaning makes me tired." I told her that it makes me tired too, but that I had to my own jobs. To which she said she thought I should clean up for her.
Me: Would you like to change dirty diapers, do the laundry, make the beds, feed everyone, vacuum, sweep, mop, etc.
To which of course her eyes wide she said no. So I proceeded to explain that I needed her help to take care of her things (for the millionth time!) and she protested a little more. So I began to sing "Whistle While You Work" and at first she said, "This is not fun and that is not a pretty song to sing." Then I kept going and making light while we picked up together and she got in the spirit of it.
When she got into the car with Phil we said our goodbyes. Happily. and I told her thank you for helping and how much I appreciated it and she said "You're welcome." A situation that could have started both of our days out so negatively actually became a joy. It was such a moment for me as I constantly struggle to not become an ogre as I ask the kids to clean and do their responsibilities without me having to do it with them. Now if I can just remember this again tonight when the house is upside down and I am so tired.
Oh my goodness. I am totally with you. I feel the same way about all the stuff around our house. I love going through the kids clothes every few months and getting rid of their holey pants or stuff they have grown out of. I always sneak a bunch of dumb toys in that drive me crazy and throw away any broken stuff. It makes things feel so much more organized around here. I need to get my name on whatever list that is that keeps you from getting all that junk mail. I hate it. It sits all over the counter and makes a big huge mess until I get around to going through it all to shred or recycle it. Thanks for letting me vent. :)
ReplyDeleteP.S. Love the darling picture of you all on the top of your blog. Such a cute family.