Its been a LONG day. All I want to do is get everyone in bed so I can fall into a chair and relax in front of the tv because I don’t have the energy for anything else. Usually, I have help at bedtime. My husband contributes so much to how the household runs when he’s home, but tonight its just me for the bedtime routine. The kids know what they’re supposed to do: pajamas, prayers, brush teeth, clean rooms, use the bathroom. With 4 young kids and a baby, I go from room to room supervising, calling out to kids individually to make sure they’re on track. But tonight, something different happens.
I look in the boys’ room and see the 7 year old trying to hula hoop with the train tracks (put together in a circle) that he’s supposed to be putting away and the site snaps me out of the routine enough to enjoy how funny the moment is. As I look around, I see the 5 year old sitting on the floor of her room smoothing down the mane of her toy horse, one of the 3 yr old twins sitting on the toilet singing “dare to be true” at the top of her lungs, the other twin who is too short to use the sink clamoring up the cupboards and balancing on his stomach on the edge of the counter to reach the faucet, and the baby who is on oxygen gnawing on the oxygen tubes.
Yes, its chaos. But I have to smile or outright laugh at the site of each of these kids that I love so much. In order for the household to run the way I want it to, there has to be organization and routine – its the only way I can keep a handle on all that is going on. But I also need to slow down, watch, and enjoy the moments with these precious individuals. Its a balancing act for sure, and this was a good reminder that I need to find that balance more often. But for now, I can appreciate that I found it tonight.
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