The Triad of Perfection

Sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the day. Duh. I came home from work and the kids and I stayed outside for about an hour and a half and planted flowers. Well, the Baby sat in her saucer, but she did watch us intently and giggle frequently. It was just wonderful...until it wasn't. JBB got tired and hungry and grouchy when it was past time for supper and winding down for the evening. So after a quick tantrum we came inside, did a quick bath, and had a quick supper. Then I just had to stand back and look at the lovely flowers, and also my dusty house and piled up laundry. I will never reach the Triad of Perfection. I will never simultaneously have a perfectly clean house, perfectly washed and folded and ready-to-wear clothes, and a refrigerator and pantry full of healthy meals. It will never happen. I can accomplish two of the three at the extreme neglect of the third. So with Cheerios needing to be swept up and towels to fold, I just don't feel too bad. JBB wrapped his arms around Baby as she sat in her high chair and just held her. She looked at me and smiled. Then he kissed the top of her head and she patted him. Too good to be true? Almost, only if the house was spotless and the laundry was all done.

Earth

Happy Earth Day! I have to confess that this is THE very first Earth Day I have ever paid attention to, yet today I was downright giddy for an excuse to wear my very green J. Crew jacket from a few seasons ago. I used to throw away every possible thing I could and simply couldn't be bothered with recycling. And I thought people who thought that was awful were just weird. Our lovely city provides us with curbside recycling and for four whole years I just lamented that I couldn't put trash in that container as well. What a waste! Well....this year my son's school did some kind of recycling project and he brought home all these brochures. What can I say? It just clicked. All of a sudden not recycling was akin to trashing your own house. It started out with aluminum cans and plastic and now...well, I admit it-I scavenge through the trash at home just to make sure we don't throw anything away that could be recycled. I have started taking away the plastic from work thanks to my not-so-green employer. So it has come full circle, I am now one of the weird ones. Now if I can just get it together enough to start composting...

Martha

So Hubby and I have been married for ten and a half years and tonight at the grocery store I absolutely could not resist buying the new Martha Stewart Weddings magazine. Something about all those diamonds on the cover was just too much. Toss one more impulse buy into the cart. At least this one is fat free.

I don't want to screw this up

I just can't enough of these biography/lifestyle/slice of life shows. Right now, I like High School Confidential and Intervention. I am enthralled....mainly because they show the person in current disasterous form. Then they flash back to the baby and toddler pictures which of course are always adorable and precious. Then the next part is deconstructing what went wrong. A very common theme in these shows is some kind of problem with the parents relationship...everything from absent parents to normal seeming parents who fight all the time. It is such a sobering thought-to know that everything you do as a parent affects your children. So much written about all that...the idea of helicopter parents and does it matter if you let your kids watch TV and how much, making sure that they don't eat too much sugar, you name it there's bound to be a parenting book or bare minimum an article in the some parents magazine. But somehow what's seems to be overlooked is the notion that your own personality and level of maturity has perhaps the greatest impact on your children. How do you handle anger? When you scream at them (cause let's be honest-we all have), then do you later apologize for losing your cool? Do you just talk to your kids about anything old thing at all? Hubby is really amazing at this. And it was hard won too. His dad just yelled. And then took a break only to keep yelling. Hubby says, "lets sit down and talk. Why do you think that Mommy and Daddy want you to...?" I don't think I have any readers yet, but I can well imagine someone saying-I try that and it doesn't work. LOL, because so do I. And I think his big booming deep Daddy voice has a lot to do with the effectiveness of his technique. But I have to say, it works. I do my best to put my own spin on it and do it too. I just keep thinking if we can commicate now, and have a pattern of daily communication established, maybe the teenage years and young adulthood will be less tumultuous. While the parents of teenagers roll their eyes, I'll just conclude my ramblings with the thought from a Sunday School teacher of mine. He has five kids (age 3 to 16) and he told us to just be where they are and eventually they will talk. He was talking specifically about his teenage son, (you know, "how was you day?" "fine." "anything new?" "no") and how he would just go and sit next to his son watching TV and after awhile of not talking, the son would start talking about something he saw and then before you know it, they were having a conversation. I don't know about everyone else, but having kids is the biggest responsbility I can imagine. Sometimes in the midst of some crisis like "get your shoes on, we are late!" I think, how will they remember this and how will they remember me when they are grown up. Most importantly, am I teaching them what they need to know. Paradoxically, it mellows me out every time because above all else, I don't want to screw this up.

Well, it has been a busy couple of days! Sunday I felt a million times better and went to church. Late Sunday afternoon after we all had long indulgent naps, we played outside and worked in the yard. Hubby and Big Boy kicked the soccer ball around while Pretty Girl and I clapped and cheered. Then Hubby worked on some landscaping while BB and I cleared the patio of brush and the weeds that were peeking up from the bricks. After the sun set, we all sat on a little patio loveseat and just looked at the stars. It was one of those moments that you just want to seal under glass for all time....peaceful, relaxed, loving. Monday was a productive day at work and then BB and I took away the recycling and went to the grocery. By the end of the night we were exhausted and sleepy. I would have rested happily if the Univ of Memphis had won the championship. I remember vividly the last time they were in the playoffs...23 years ago. Now that makes me feel old-especially since PG and I watched the game together. Tuesday and Wednesday have passed in a blur. Hubby and I have been talking about how fast time flies when you have little ones.

Regarding my container gardening...I bought the most wonderful magazine called what else, "Container Gardening." It is a special publication (read, no ads and $10) from Southern Living. I can't stop looking at it! I am so inspired for the patio!

Inaugural

So this is my new outlet of expression. I really don't want to be one of those people who writes every six months and apologizes about it, explaining how busy their life has been. I guess that explains the title...this will require some balancing. That said, I think this will be fun. It would certainly seem so given all the blogs that I now read regularly. Right now, I am recovering from the terrible respiratory virus that everyone seems to have around here. I actually missed work yesterday which I always hate to do. I am weary of being sick and ready to have some fun this weekend...or at least make it out of pajamas. I already have a large list of feel better activities....read story to the babies, Target for a new bathroom curtain to match my son's latest painting (the new art display), and Lowe's to begin some container gardening. I really like the idea of container gardening....it's almost like accessorizing an outfit. Find what you like and put it together. I like the simplicity of it-"real" gardening has always seemed like the most daunting task to me, what with all the mulch and pulling of weeds. Too much work. Life is easier to balance when it's simple!