School Days....

All through my preschool years of having children I dreaded the days of all my kids going to school. I assumed I would sob for days, WEEKS even, when my first child toddled off to school. It wasn't easy the first day...but imagine my surprise when I was fine after ohhhh...one day. The same went for my second one.

I could never understand those mothers who rejoiced at the end of summer...that would NEVER be me. NEVER. Then, at the end of this summer, before 2/3 of my children headed back to school, I felt a twinge of something....I was ANNOYED. Summer just needed to be over. I don't care what anyone says, by the end of the summer, vacations are over, day trips are done and kids are bored. I started to look forward to the beginning of school...WHAT?? I swore that would never happen! But I was looking forward to routine, and for my kids to have one too...they needed one! Now my youngest has started nursery school two mornings a week. That means two mornings of alone time. At first I was overwhelmed with the thoughts of it...what in the world would I do? Two hours alone? Unheard of! As someone who had three kids in four years...I haven't had a scheduled amount of alone time in some years. I was sure I would dread it. HOWEVER, by this morning...day two....I am starting to realize I will look forward to those two mornings immensely. Instead of dreading school days I am starting to embrace them. I came home and stared blankly. Then I washed my curtains. Of all things! Motherhood is such an emotional and unexpected journey. The things you thought you would hate...you love...and the things you dreaded the most you find out just may not be so bad after all! Although I don't look forward to saying good bye to my last one, when she goes to school full time next year....I am starting to realize it may not be so bad after all. Who knew?

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Clean up, clean up.....or not....

It starts off so innocently. Deciding that, although it's summer, this mess has to be dealt with before we do one more thing. "Kiiids!" I call in my sweet mother voice, "We're going to spend some time cleaning up today." And then, in same sweet voice start singing that good old clean up song: "Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere..." What? It seems to work fine in nursery school. My 7 year old instantly drops to the ground crying, holding his head in his hands. My 5 year old smiles sweetly and says, "Sure, I LOVE cleaning. Cleaning is my favorite thing EVER." My three year old doesn't need to be asked twice and instantly goes upstairs and cleans her entire room in under five seconds (did I mention she's a GIRL?). After that here's how it goes:

-Give 7 year old two options (in sweet, patient voice): Clean room or no Wii.
-Give 5 year old explicit instructions on what to clean, knowing that if you don't it won't get done AT ALL.
-15 minutes later. Remind 7 year old, in semi-sweet voice of his two options. Ask 5 year old sort of nicely to please stop playing with toys and actually clean them up. Send 3 year old GIRL downstairs to start working on playroom, since room is done.
-15 minutes later. Try and encourage children for the 1 cm of floor space they have cleaned...but remind them that my patience is wearing out and for heaven's sake just clean it all.
-5 minutes later: Rush upstairs after hearing "I'm bleeding, something got me!" only to find a small pipe cleaner injury.
-5 minutes later: Reassure 7 year old (who is now the only one cleaning even though his 5 year old brother LOVES cleaning SOOO much) that yes, his brother would have to clean his share of the room as well.
-2 minutes later: Ignore 5 year old who is insisting his finger is broken and is therefore unable to clean. Try to also ignore growing rage inside yourself.
2 minutes later: Tell 3 year old, who has now cleaned her entire room AND playroom, what a stellar child she is. Give out popsicle. Ignore other children's pleading to be done and have one too.
2 minutes later: Run upstairs after hearing the sound of a frisbee banging against the wall. Unleash rage. Give speel about coming up here with big black garbage bag, how parents aren't slaves, etc, etc.
-4.7 seconds later: Retreat to room, frantically playing computer games while singing the clean up song in a crazy voice to yourself, wondering why you have ever started this fiasco. Ignore children staring at you in doorway..then eventually slinking away.

And that, my friends, is my explanation on why my house remains half cleaned and also why my Bejewelled score keeps improving. ;)

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It's Monday and I Just Can't BEAR It!

If you've been to my house lately you'd see that I have a little taste of Christmas still kicking around. On my kitchen window sill sits some cute little festive-like bears spelling out the words "Merry Christmas." I'm ashamed of it....sooooo ashamed but I'll be darned if I'm taking them down. Six months ago...SIX! I asked my dear dear husband to get the box for me for them, from the high up Christmas box in the basement. He kept forgetting...and forgetting...and forgetting...and so began the saga of the festive Christmas bears. Now we treat them like a joke. Who will bend and take down the bears first? But it's no joke. We both suffer from EXTREME stubborness. I'm sure in his head he wonders why I don't just climb up and get the box myself, and I just don't understand how someone can forget THAT much. So there they sit, in all their holiday glory. Now, seeing as how my dear husband rarely looks out that window, I fully realize that the problem is mostly mine (mostly). Until I bring it up, he doesn't even remember they're even there. This morning I looked at them and thought, "it's a new week, I should start off Monday right and take those down." Yes, that's what I thought. But I couldn't, nope I couldn't. Being stubborn is a terrible disease, and I KNOW I'm not the only one out there who suffers with it. How would our lives...our relationships be different if being stubborn just wasn't a factor? If we could just admit when we're wrong, be the bigger person, ask for forgiveness when it really was our fault?? I can't imagine how frustrating it much be for Jesus to watch us doing such ridiculous things for the sake of stubborness. It's a disease, but a curable one. I can't say I'm cured, or will be anytime soon, but maybe by the next time I talk to you I can bring myself to take...down...those...BEARS!

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