"Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding." --Romans 14:19
Day 2 as a Stay at home Mommy had a rough start we were playing a hidden treasure/ scavenger hunt/ follow the leader and I was unaware of the target. Have you ever had a boss ream you out in a language you don't understand? For fifteen minutes I had an irate toddler gesturing frantically, grunting, bellowing, and chiding at me in toddlerese. I adore the kid I promise you but he is kind of a grumpy bear when he wakes up. This morning he pointed immediately to the rocking chair. Which usually at night means rock me mommy/daddy and sing/hum me a lullaby or two or five. This is not our normal morning routine. But I am a new employee eager to comply and smooth out all interactions. Well we hit the rocker and flailed our arms with a scream of protest. Ahhh morning point to the rocker does not mean sit. I asked jokingly, I asked matter of factly, I pointed out suggestions and none could help solve the miscommunication. I tried to go on with our morning as if he didn't have a dire message to share with me. Diaper change was an obstacle course, a few tears from both parties, but then back to the morning hunt/argument. You may have noticed the angry Donald Duck stomp is the best visual of how my son appeared after twelve minutes of my incompetence/ignorance. By this time we had tried sitting in the rocking chair four times, the recliner twice, two offers of breakfast in the high chair and at least ten rounds of bedroom to living room and total meltdown when we closed his bedroom door. (Which we do daily so this was especially alarming.) Finally, he said something about da-da - ah a word I understand. And something that resembled where da-da? Victory I think I know what or I should say whom we've been searching - bad news daddy had only been at work for ten minutes. I tried reaching him on the phone thinking this may bring peace to our home. Of course no answer. So I opened the garage. And somehow - this gesture - this act - brought calmness to our chaos. Drew was pleased with the missing car. Maybe he understood that I wasn't hiding his daddy from him. Maybe he was excited to play in an area of the house he rarely sees minus departures and arrivals. Maybe he was tired of yelling at mommy. Regardless I felt victorious and the world's best detective/crisis manager by 8:10 this morning. But a fifteen minute berating takes a toll even if the boss is an adorable almost two year old. Unto our next task - breakfast. Easy peasy.
Now chore time! Its kind of like Double Chores which then doubles again. My son loves to take out the trash. So I handed him some garbage he grabbed his best friend and the three of us trekked through our yard to dispose of the mounting garbage. Sure it takes longer to actually trek the shole way but the boss looks so smug when he does his part. From trash we moved unto clutter piles - I do love me a good clutter pile - if you saw my house it appears I collect them as they multiply quickly (especially if you ignore them like I have :) So we attacked the clutter - which means I tried to straighten and my li'l wonder felt attacking the clutter meant we should physically attack the clutter. Throw it, stomp it, eat it, push it, hit it - you get the idea. This chore is done in small increments for sanity and safety reasons (especially when we get to the biting/eating portion).
After lunch and a lengthy nap -( Naps alone are a victory and a beautiful reminder why the schedule needed some fiddling ) - we did another small round of clear clutter and then break time. I love the thought of routines and deadlines and goals to accomplish. I also am a huge procrastinator without some schedule. So as a motivation tool and to truly appreciate this time with my son I have a goal to do something fun/productive/out of the rut - crafty, experiment, field trips/errands. Something stimulating - don't get me wrong I love the goldie oldies (everyday toys, dances, books, songs) but I want him to learn about the world and me to have the chance to learn about him. So we did our Speech therapy homework of shapes - we colored them and stickered them and it was the best part of my day. I get caught up in activities, schedules, lists, daydreams, etc. I seek perfection and extremes. But for that time I was present. I was giggling, I was coloring and playing with stickers (probably my favoritest thing to collect since I was six - weird but totally true factoid :) , I was in the world I imagined.
After two loads of laundry it was unto another fantastic dinner if I must confess. Chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs with tomatoes. YUM! It felt a little bit victorious to eat two nights in a row before seven as a family eating the same meal. Also using up ingredients that usually are bought with the best intentions and then sadly forgotten and thrown out in total waste. But not this week. This week the tomatoes found a home in our bellies and not the garbage can. I know - it's the little victories. Plus I made extras of the pancakes for the freezer (ha ha take that frozen waffles!!!)
It's the honeymoon phase of the job. Call me cocky - call me naive but I just think I might still be in love with this job after the first two weeks. But we will see :) A part of me has secretly craved this job for two years but sadly I didn't think I was qualified or up to the challenge. And another part feared boredom. Its looking like it is even better than what I dreamed. May your HealthFULL Journey pursue your desires that will bring peace and upbuilding to yourself and those around you. For when we follow God's Will everything has its own way of working itself out. God's blessings until we meet again. . .
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