My girls are generally the last ones to turn in their school permission slips. They are the children who show up at school missing either their entire lunch or part of it; they are the ones wearing mismatched soccer socks on game day because I can’t find the set. I am scatter-brained and disorganized and the girls often suffer at least the short-term consequences. (I do get their permission slips turned in eventually and if they’re missing their lunches, I bring them before it’s time to eat, even if that means a quick run to Publix to pick up a oh-so-healthy Lunchable.)
Our house is usually much closer to a disaster area than something belonging in House Beautiful. They don’t have as many play dates as they’d like, mostly because I can’t make them work with my crazy schedule and my lackluster housekeeping skills make spur of the moment company difficult to say the least. They’re often later getting to bed than they should be because I haven’t managed to get dinner on the table until well after 7:00 p.m.
I worry about this. a lot. I compare myself to other moms and I often feel inadequate, particularly when we’re out somewhere and I see a mom who has everything all organized and running smoothly and I can’t find water bottles, backpacks, school folders, my keys, my sunglasses.
Last night, though, none of that bothered me. Last night it was okay that my daughters may not get the benefit of an organized, all-together mother. They do get the benefit of a creative, playful one. Their dinners are late, but we have a lot of picnics. Their permission slips get signed slowly, be we’ve been a lot of places that don’t require permission slips. Our house is often a disaster, but we do a lot of crafts that involve glue and paint and glitter. a lot of glitter.
Last night we had a Glow In The Dark Easter Egg Hunt. I saw the idea somewhere on the internet (and for the life of me, I can’t remember where!)and knew it was something that the girls would love. I ordered the mini-lights and picked up some plastic eggs. I already had the jewel-shaped eggs – they looked really cool with the lights.
Steve “hid” them around the yard – since they were glowing in the night, they weren’t hard to find. We called the girls out and told them we wanted them to come look at the moon. When they walked out the door and saw the yard aglow in Easter colors, they shrieked with joy. And I smiled!
Abigail ran giggling round and round the yard and Gracie kept saying “This is sooooo cool!”
I need to work on my organizational and time management skills – I know I do. But, at least for right now, I’m going to celebrate my strengths instead of beating myself up constantly for my weaknesses. Yes, yesterday was chaotic, but there was a whole lot of laughter and that, at least in my eyes, is something to celebrate.