(Which is the next best thing to actually having it together). One of the other Mom's at basketball said, "How do you do it? You and ALL your kids always look so put together! I wish I had it together like you do." Have It Together? She obviously didn't see Noah, who was dressed in a full-blown Spider-Man costume in 110 degree weather. She obviously didn't know I spent 10 minutes looking for my other shoe (found it in Jessie's room. It was a "boat" for several of her princess dolls). She obviously didn't know I let the kids have ice cream cake for a snack that morning.
All of this got me thinking about how we are all so different, we value different things and have different habits. Unless I am doing mucky work in the yard or garage, I get cleaned up and dressed right away in the morning. It is a habit and I owe that one to my parents. If nothing else, it gives the illusion that this mama Has It Together. :) Thinking about all this, I decided to make a list of the top 5 things that really make me feel like I have it together (which is almost as good as the real thing).
1. Making beds in the morning. I really enjoy making beds. It makes the room look neat and put together even if there are toys on the floor, books piled on the dresser, or a basket full of laundry. As long as the bed is made it looks just fine. And fine is the new good.
2. Driving a clean car. First of all, I, we, my family... we are never as clean as we should be. We don't just exist, we LIVE. Where there is Life, there will also be tidbits of sand and grass and hair and fingerprints. I am okay with that. When our minivan was new, I would deep clean that baby every week. Then we moved and I was overwhelmed. Then we had a baby and I'm doing good just to keep the inside of the house clean every week let alone my van. So now I am deep cleaning it once a month with a vacuum and magic eraser and windex and all that. This is a fairly easy task because we keep it basically clean even with all of our comings and goings each day. The kids are responsible for bringing in their own stuff and we don't usually eat in the car. Once a week a different kid is in charge of making sure there isn't any garbage left in the doorways or under seats and that kid gets to keep whatever change is the coin drawer.
3. Sticking to a budget. Jared will tell you I am terrible at this. Just terrible. But when I am good it really boosts my self-esteem and makes me feel like I can make anything happen. I am a work in progress.
4. Having a time and a place for everything. Bedtimes, mealtimes, family scripture study, toy closets, art drawers, etc. Having set times we do things and a place to put our stuff makes everyday life much easier. It also makes cleaning up easier for the kids because they know every singe thing has a "home."
5. Being On Time. I make our family late for church all the time... because I am putting stuff in the oven or grabbing crayons on the way out the door. I think it will just take one minute, but then I do 10 one-minute tasks and make us 10 minutes late. (Sigh) However, I am not late for other things and it always makes me feel like "Hey, I got this." Plus I sound kinda mean when we are running late. It's my "urgent" voice, but I know it doesn't sound nice. So I just like to avoid all that be on time.
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