This has SO not been my week for Domestic Achievement. It has, however, been a wonderful hands-on lesson in paying attention to details.
Let's ignore the dishes (no, really, please ignore them...), and even the weird piles of paper that would indicate there are two elderly, blind, compulsive packrats residing somewhere in the front of the house. It goes far deeper than that.
I made rice pancakes today. That was my first time actually making the recipe. I've tried several times, but always forget, when I'm making rice for supper, than I plan to use the leftovers for pancakes and, well, I'm not certain the boys would go for garlic or cumin pancakes. So, I whipped up a batch today and it was a little... thin. Disturbingly thin, to be honest. I rechecked the recipe. It did say, "Whisk until you have a light and creamy batter." Hmm, ok, well, it was creamy and, yes, certainly "light". I scooped some out and slapped it onto the griddle. And it ran EVERYWHERE. Suddenly, rather than pancakes, I was whipping up fried milk and eggs with rice bits. Interesting, but not what I was hoping for. (Upon closer scrutiny of the recipe, I realized I'd left out a cup and a half of flour. Ohhhh! Okay. Makes much more sense now.)
Made Magic Milk Shakes yesterday. Aside from the fact that our blender just isn't big enough (the note in the recipe said the blender "should be about 3/4 full now", at which point, I was stuffing things in through the hole in the lid b/c there was no more room), the milkshakes didn't look a bit like anything Frosty-like. I mean, they were good, but not... right. It wasn't until later than night, while sharing the recipe with LB that I realized I'd completely spaced the powdered milk component of the recipe.
The clean, shiny change, Snickers wrappers, and compass I washed, along with the jeans...
The windows (that's all I can bring myself to say on that point)...
Where has the routine gone? The focus? The order? (Quit sniggling, there was some, at some point. I know there was.) The joy of the routine, focus and order?
OK, maybe there wasn't joy in it. But there's certainly no joy in the runny pancakes and ruined laundry, either. (The milkshakes, nobody complained about, so they don't count, not entirely.)
And then, when the pupil is ready and all that jazz... on the radio, I heard a bit about children and obedience. The phrase was "comply quickly, sweetly, completely". The station blitzed out right after that, but that's okay. I heard what I needed to. I seldom obey quickly, sweetly, completely. Good place to start.
That whole "task at hand" thing? Yeah, a little attention to detail would have left last week - blood, puke, and all - running much more smoothly.
Someone sent me an encouraging email about things I needed encouraging about.
Bloggers blogged about things that encouraged me, and strengthened my resolve to step out of the mental cellar, where, as I said to a friend earlier today, I'd fallen into the vats of whine I keep down there, to come on up and Get Doin'. Do it quickly, sweetly, completely. Stick to the task at hand. Find the joy in the mundane, the joy in the incredibly small setbacks. Wiggle those toes and watch the baby giggle. Read one more book. Sing while we wash the dishes. Suck it up while I pay the bills. Be a better steward of the money I've been entrusted with to manage our home. Fix lunch for Zorak more consistently. (Did I used to put notes in his lunches? Why did I stop? I still feel the same way, but it doesn't do him any good if I don't let him know.)
Yeah.
Details.
Things like that.
And I'm gonna kiss my babies just a little bit more, too.
~Dy
7 comments:
Sometimes, I think some level of chaos is a natural side effect of so many people living full time in a home. We don't go to school, only one of us goes to work, and that leaves six people here all day eating, playing, learning, and generally making a mess. Its hard to keep the routine going. If you relax for even a day, the whole system for cleaning up the mess goes to pot. Oh, well. At least they're good nurses after I've hurt the bottom of my foot accidentally walking on one of those stray duplos.
Remember the scene in the movie Parenthood when the toddler wrecks his sister's play and the picture starts moving like they're on a roller coaster? I love that movie.
I can't change our roller coaster into a nice smooth carosel, but I can change my reaction to the ride. I can either hide my head and miss the joy or throw up my hands and decide to enjoy the crazy thing, even through the terrifying and stomach-turning parts. I'm working on choosing the joy. God is working on working the control freak out of me so I can. *g*
Very small pirate figures keep turning up in our wash. Leo doesn't always have pockets, so he just stuffs them in his pants.
Andie, ROFL - I don't remember that scene. The one I remember most clearly is the one w/ the kid's head in the trash can as the child runs about, bonking off things. "He likes to run into things..." "You must be so proud." That one will send me into fits of giggles to this day (and I haven't seen the movie in ages).
Let go, grab a cold one, and enjoy the ride! It's not likely to slow down any time soon.
Jennie, you encourage me and make me smile so often. Thank you! Now if you could somehow impart some stamina my way, I'd be eternally grateful...
Dy
But at least you are trying new recipes and making an effort with your windows! Doesn't that deserve a heap of credit? I like the phrase, "complying quickly, sweetly, and completely," particularly if I am thinking about my procrastinating, distractable boy, but I also like the idea of being free to enjoy cuddles, walks outside, and spurr of the moment brownie baking when the moment is right. These two things, order and organization, and spontaneous pleasures, are both appealing, but, obviously, they aren't always compatable. If you fall behind on order and organization you can always make it up, but you can't make up those missed snuggles and walks through crunchy leaves. You are doing great!
(and was there an actual Snickers bar in that wrapper? If so, how sad!)
Dy,
I just wanted to confess that, having pooh poohed order and organization in my earlier comment, I've been busily trying to get things done "quickly, sweetly, and completely" (see -- it is stuck in my brain!) this afternoon. Ed would be So pleased to come back from Lowes and find a slightly more orderly house!
Melora, I love hearing from you! And honestly, I think your response to "quickly, sweetly, completely" is perfectly normal. So often, particularly when used in some contexts, it does carry the stench of "children should be seen, not heard" and other phrases that rub against our grain, doesn't it? That's why it was such a boost to me, today, to hear only that phrase, which stuck w/ me so heartily, with regard to how *I* get things done (or, more appropriately, not done *grin*). When properly applied and modeled, I truly believe "quickly, sweetly, completely" gets things accomplished better and actually leaves more time for the leaf crunching and snuggles, AND ends the day on a better note b/c we don't have one eye on all that still must be done after the small ones are in bed. How cool that you're making headway! You're gonna love it when you're done! :-)
And yes, the Snickers wrapper had a Snickers in it... a small one, but still. :-(
Dy
I was down-in-the-dumps this weekend over my lack of vision for homeschooling at present. I get frustrated at not having a handle on the BIG PICTURE. I don't mind working on the details, but sometimes I wonder if I'm working on the RIGHT details and I worry. Reflecting on your post, I just had the thought that maybe I'd better trust God, who can see the big picture after all, and keep plugging away at the details entrusted to me with a prayerful and joyful spirit.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Melissa
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