one of those days

Today is just one of those days where my mind is yelling EVERYBODY GO TO SLEEP.

You know those days?

Nothing terribly out of the ordinary- Isabelle stayed up wayyyy too late last night and got up wayyyy to early this morning. My mom said I was like that- just a night owl- up playing and reading and getting out of bed. Last night I thought Isabelle was asleep- only to round the corner and see her light on. She was on the floor, putting legwarmers, socks, and shoes on to “get ready for the ball.” We giggled and took a picture and tucked her back in bed but ALSO then the next day she is saucy tired by 8:30. This is such a frequent phenomenon, we could probably make a coffee table book of pictures of her out of bed doing something ridiculous. She is also so independent, she wants to do everything herself and has a hard time accepting help (umm no you may not use a steak knife.) and it results in some meltdowns when her fairy wings get stuck but she won’t let me untangle them. She says, “MOM! I can do it mySELF” except she makes “mom” into two syllables like she is fourteen already.

And Lincoln. Oh my little Linc- still in the transition between 2 naps and just 1 nap. I’ve been trying just do to one nap, but after ten am he is like handling a freshly tranquilized bear. Like he knows he is so floppy deliriously sleepy but he also wants to stay up and play so he’s like am I tired? WAIT, WHY AM I NOT ASLEEP. Hold me! Put me down! Hold me! Put me down! Yesterday he did two naps for the first time in a week, so I tried that same schedule today and he was not having any part of it.

We were going to run some errands this morning but I didn’t get a shower and it was drizzly raining and both kids were not in their best form so instead we had a disney dance party while I secretly scrubbed anything I could with the magic eraser.

How is it possible that with my affinity for cleaning that I have somehow missed out on this glorious invention.  We were discussing some cleaning things on Sunday and I have been frustrated by my stubborn shower floor. I’ve never been able to get it sparkly white clean since we moved in- even then I plugged it up and let bleach soak in there for days and I couldn’t get all the dirt out. JaNae recommended magic eraser and it has seriously changed my life. Baseboards! Door frames! Grout! The bathtub! My kid’s faces! Just kidding on that last one though.

Anyway. My kids are asleep now and I took a shower and washed my hair and everything is fine. It is days like today that I am thankful that I get a break every once in awhile. Jazz is very good to send me out in the evening or a weekend-night to do whatever I want- get my toes painted or return that thing from target that has been sitting in my car for a month or get groceries by myself or do some shopping. Last weekend was really busy- Jazz had a bunch of stuff going on at work, and he was needed Saturday and Sunday at the church building to set up the IT stuff for stake conference and we didn’t see him much. Sunday was the superbowl too, so by Monday I was a little bit out of sorts. He sent me out with my mom to get a pedicure and peruse TJ Maxx and it was just what I needed. We laughed so hard over the stupidest things and I bought some mixing bowls and new sandals and came home refreshed.

I give it up to you single mothers, and mothers with husbands who are in school/work late/travel a lot because hot damn if it isn’t hard sometimes. I read in the ensign yesterday about this woman who only has one arm- and she has five kids! People are amazing.

I’m gonna go blow dry my hair super quickly and maybe eat some food and move the laundry. Naps were created for mothers to take a deep breath and hit the reset button, of that I am sure.

Two of my most favorite mood boosting quotes:

“Do the best you can through these years, but whatever else you do, cherish that role that is so uniquely yours and for which heaven itself sends angels to watch over you and your little ones…Remember, To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Mothers, we acknowledge and esteem your faith in every footstep. Please know that it is worth it then, now, and forever.” -Holland

“You have nothing in this world more precious than your children. When you grow old, when your hair turns white & your body grows weary, when you are prone to sit in a rocker & meditate on the things of your life, nothing will be so important as the question of how your children have turned out … Do not trade your birthright as a mother for some bauble of passing value … The baby you hold in your arms will grow as quickly as the sunrise & the sunset of the rushing days.” – Gordon B. Hinkley