Bad Day? It could be worse. And it HAS been worse.

We all have those days. Murphy’s Law seems to be in full swing, and nothing is going right. And not only is nothing going right, but everything is going wrong.

Some of you have noticed that I haven’t been blogging as much recently. Ok, so I’ve barely been blogging at all. It’s not because I don’t love writing, because I absolutely love writing. It’s one of the things I do to remind myself that I use my brain for more than keeping track of where the kids’ shoes have gone, whose turn it is to pick the music in the car, and which day my daughter is bringing snack to preschool. Writing is a release for me, and it’s something I really enjoy. However, other things are demanding my time these days, and I rarely have the luxury of sitting down to write (not to mention the mental energy).

Not only are we expecting baby number three, but we are also moving across the country – in two and a half weeks. So, just as morning sickness subsides, I find myself running around trying to get my home and my life in order to move us several states away. This may sound stressful, and it is. There are kid clothes strewn all over the stairs, boxes to be sorted through, dirty dishes from several days ago, and Easter basket grass all over the playroom.

The thing that I find, though, is that these days are quite different than one would expect. If someone had told me that I would be running around trying to get all of this done in just a few weeks, I’d assume that I would be a ball of stress. I would think I’d be quite anxious, and worked up over the little details. Knowing how much I love control over my environment, and how much I dislike chaos, that sounds about right. However, the strangest thing is happening: I am not the crazy ball of nerves that I thought I would be. In fact, I’ve never been happier.

Not only is this a move that we have wanted for some time, but I feel great these days. Morning sickness is more or less over (thank you, Zofran), and I’m in that wonderful second trimester. I have energy, and I need every ounce of it if I’m going to get it all done before the movers show up. I am so happy right now just to be on my feet and resuming normal life again (even if “normal” means crazy busy with way too much to do…) because it wasn’t too long ago that I was flattened to the couch for those first few weeks of pregnancy. Is today going to be busy and filled with crazy moment? Probably. But I would much rather have it this way than be stuck inside during a blizzard for a week, and bolting to the bathroom several times a day to go throw up.

I found myself laughing yesterday, mulling over why I wasn’t upset over a few things that were happening (which I’ll get to in a moment, if for no other reason than sheer entertainment). I kept running around, exhausted and way too busy, but I was smiling like I’ve never smiled before. Life is good.

Here is a snapshot of an hour from yesterday afternoon, just before I sat down to write this:

My house is messy, so I’m hurrying around attempting to clean it up. As I’m running around dealing with stinky dishes and other things that are low priority right now, I remember that I have about fifty emails to respond to that are related to Freecycle. Thinking about this reminds me that I’ve set out several things for folks to pick up. Then I look outside and realize it’s pouring down rain. I bolt outside and grab the bags of baby clothes and old board books that I set out for someone to pick up. The bag splits in half. I am bent over, soaked, trying to pick up the drenched baby books. As I am drying them off with a towel, I look over and realize that I left the windows rolled down in my minivan (all the while, my kids are asking for a refill of their sippy cups, which I keep replying “hold on” to). Wanting shoes to run back outside, I grabbed the only shoes by the doors – high heels. I just hope that none of my neighbors watched my pregnant sprint to the minivan, clad in high heels, in the rain. I came back inside, and the DVD that my girls are watching is suddenly broken. After I’m done fixing the movie, I sit down and start writing. (My afternoon is shot anyway, so why not take a few minutes to relax?) At this point my older daughter announces that my toddler has peed on the couch.

As I’m editing this, my two year old throws a temper tantrum. And I’m on the phone with my husband who just called. Also, I am meeting a friend for coffee in an hour, and my family hasn’t eaten dinner yet (by the way, there is no food in the house). This means I need to run and pick up Sonic, so my kids and husband can eat something tonight. I have been running around too much to even think about dinner. But once again, I’m just glad that my taste for Sonic has returned, and that I have the energy to run around like this. It really could be worse.

If it’s not one thing, it’s another. Life with children is like that! I used to let it really get me stressed, but after the past few months I’ve realized that perspective is a truly wonderful thing. No one is happy when our plans are derailed or when these annoying little things come up, but the important thing is to try and take it with a grain of salt and remember it’s not the end of the world. Honestly, I’m just glad not to be throwing up all of the time! Give me a soaked minivan, splitting bags all over my walkway, and pee on the couch any day. I’ll take it – because I know that these things happen, it could be – and HAS been – worse, and because there is always something to be thankful for in a situation. Even if life is crazy, I am thankful for my health and for my family – and for being up for this busy time of life right now.

-Grace

Related posts:

1. Tips on Incorporating Fitness Into Your Life
2. My Toddler is a Fashionista – In Her Own Mind
3. “Should I Be Doing That, Too?”
4. Why You Should Cherish the Baby Stage
5. Relaxing With Your Kids