Tuesday, October 6, 2015

welcome to Narnia


tonight i started reading "The Magician's Nephew" from one of my very favorite books series, "The Chronicles of Narnia" with the girls. it was one of those "mom-high" moments where i felt like i floated on a cloud out of their room at bedtime and just had to write it down. i mean how often does that happen at bedtime? i love words and books and pages - they feel like friends to me. i just love the way they can wrap you up and transport you and anyone within their reach to a whole different place. the Chronicles of Narnia were some of the first books i remember doing that to me. where i felt like i wasn't just a spectator...but rather a character grabbed by the hands and feet by those words, and taken on an amazing adventure, to an idyllically beautiful place that i didn't want to ever leave. it's so special to be able to be a part of that same magic with my kids.

life is good with these three. it's not perfect. i feel like it's a tough world we live in these days. social media has us convinced that we need to be people living in two extremes: either life is orderly and perfect and just like so with new shoes and healthy meals and pillows and perfect paint on our walls, or we should be dang proud of how out of control it all is, eating donuts for every meal. i'm like switzerland in this - just neutral. totally far from perfect - ( let it be known that my perfect INCLUDES donuts for dinner!) but i care about my house being clean, when i'm not too tired to do it.

these days i am outnumbered and often exasperated, searching for energy and time and more energy and more time every day. the girls are busy with preschool and 2nd grade, and ballet, gymnastics and violin lessons. we drive from one thing to the next, and i hope that i am helping them discover their talents and love for things, and not just busying them so much that they are miserable. i spend a lot of time chasing Jack and keeping him from immediate danger. he is a thrill seeker! and he really loves dumping things everywhere. crayons. pretzels. pencil shavings. blocks. back-pack papers. if it can be dumped, he's dumping it. (that sounds kind of gross the way i typed that. but it's true). it just seems like there aren't enough minutes to get it all done and clean the way i like it. i wish i were a little better at multitasking, i wish i liked doing laundry (because i really hate it and avoid it and hate it) and i wish i had it better under control... but i'm realizing that it's sad to wish away these precious young years with my kids. they want to be with me, in spite of the messes. they don't care about the piles of laundry that need to be folded. they're grateful to come and shuffle through the piles and find stuff if they need it. they don't mind eating breakfast for dinner AGAIN! because let's be real, it's the easiest dinner ever and everyone tells you how much they love you for letting them drench their face in whip cream and syrup. they still need my hugs. and i realllly need their hugs. they aren't too cool for bike rides or selfies while we ride - which is one of my very favorite things to do with them right now. they love for me to sing them songs and even like my music, they'll dance with me and laugh at my embarrassing ugly dance moves, they'll lip sync with me, they do their homework when i ask them to, and they lovvvvve to be read to. and so, i'm gonna keep reading to them as long as they'll let me. because i lovvvve reading to them. it's just one of those perks to the job for me. and all of the un-perks...well, they aren't going anywhere. they can wait.

#beingamomisthehardestbestthing

(do people hashtag their blogs? well i just did. boom.)


xoxo

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