From Sam... Do you ever have those mornings that just start out on the wrong foot? (Don't lie. I know you do.) That was last Thursday for me. I woke up at 7:38, and realized we had to be out the door in 37 minutes for school. I ran into the kid's room where they were zonked! Like open mouth, barely moving, completely crashed. I tried to wake them up nicely...several times...but at 5 min to 8 (we leave the house at 8:15), and after multiple attempts to wake them nicely, I threatened spankings to get them out of bed. They quickly obliged; as you can imagine. It seemed like they were walking through molasses all morning! (Yes! The whole 15 minutes of morning that we had left since we all overslept!) I had to repeat myself 3-5 times to get them to do anything. They wouldn't eat breakfast. I was quickly losing my crap! Finally, I raised my voice and said, "fine! We're going to be late because you two won't listen!" (Which let's be serious, do kids even care? Of course not! So why was I bothering to waste my breath?) By the time we were loading into the car we were running 10 minutes late, Charlotte didn’t have her coat that I told her to put on 3 times, and Finn wasn’t wearing his shoes. Now expletives were going through my head…I may have even muttered “this is why moms drink…” under my breath. Yes, I admit it. Not my shiniest moment, but at least they didn’t hear me, right? As we pulled out of the neighborhood I took some deep breaths and tried to get it together. I reminded myself that they’re little, and ten minutes isn’t that big of a deal. But I was still miffed. All the while they were aloof and were laughing and messing around. At the next traffic light I was behind a truck with an “I served in Iraq” bumper sticker. The man inside was a handsome guy probably in his late 30s wearing his army uniform. (Not that odd for a military town.) The awesome thing was that he was dancing and singing like it was going out of style. He noticed me looking at him in the rearview, smiled, and kept right on going! I couldn’t help but laugh and want to join in. So I said, “hold on kids! We’re having a car dance party!” And it completely changed the mood to our morning. We were singing and dancing and laughing. We still ended up getting to school 10 minutes late, but we were all so much happier. On the way to the gym later that day I passed a man probably in mid to late 40s riding his bike wearing Halloween-themed LulaRoe leggings. It was awesome! There’s something so refreshing about people that don’t take life too seriously, isn’t there? And doesn’t being silly just feel good sometimes? When you think of some of the happiest times in your life are they the times that are perfectly structured and regimented, or do they include silliness and spontaneity? Whether you’re stressed or light-hearted won’t change the reality of time, responsibilities, or what’s happening in your environment, but it will change how you perceive the experience. Today, both the kids are home sick from school. At first I was feeling sorry for myself. “How am I supposed to get anything done?” “Ugh, they’re probably going to be whiney and needy.” “I hope I can get a shower.” “The house is a mess!” But then, I remembered the man who was dancing, and I (figuratively) put on my halloween leggings and said, “Today is going to be awesome!” So far, we’ve watched a lot of TV, had lots of snuggles, laughed, FaceTimed Mammie in Washington, eaten a good breakfast, opened the windows and enjoyed the fresh air, and had not one hint of negativity! Yes, my dining room is still a disaster from making halloween costumes yesterday, but I’ll get to it. No, I haven't taken a shower yet. Yes, we are all in our bathrobes and don’t have any intention of getting out of them. Today is just about “being”, not accomplishing. And we are going to ENJOY IT! Happy Monday Everyone…and don’t take yourself too seriously today! From Molly... "I love to laugh, loud and long and clear...it's getting worse every year!" - Mary Poppins This is me! I LOVE to laugh...but sometimes I also get sooo serious about things! When Sam told me about her inspiration for this post I was so tickled! So for my part here's a quick thought, a quick story, and then some pictures to prove the point... A thought: I think one of the BEST parts of having a toddler is that they help you not to take life too seriously. Stella is constantly laughing at things, saying hilarious things, or asking questions that make me see things from her sweet light-hearted perspective. I made a goal a couple of months ago to force myself to laugh anytime I wanted to raise my voice at her, and it has helped so much! She then cracks up to, and then it helps me realize how little the frustration was in the first place. A story: A few nights ago Aaron and I were headed to bed late, and I'm feeling through the dark living room for my phone, you know, hunched over, hands way out in front of me feeling for my life, and eyes squinted (as if that helps improve your night vision..it doesn't...) when suddenly my shin collides with Stella's little purple rocking chair. I fling to the floor in pain, and at first I start laughing, but then Aaron starts laughing...and then it's not funny to me anymore...(something about the fact that only you are allowed to laugh at your pain as soon as it happens, and everyone else is supposed to coddle you in your hysterical agony...) So next thing i'm in the kitchen sitting on the floor, rubbing my shin like mad to decrease the bruising (skirts and bruised shins are the worst!), and sobbing like a toddler. Aaron comes in and I scold him on not being more compassionate. He gets me an ice pack and sits down next to me then for some reason I saw the experience from the outside (by the way, I hit my shin so hard that it actually cut it!), and finally I broke out laughing...well and crying...but i'm assuming most women, or people for that matter, have that ability (it's like one of my super powers that freaked Aaron out the most when we got married). Next thing, we're both cracking up talking about how sad it is for my shin but how hilarious the situation was. It ended up being so fun just sitting on the kitchen floor, Aaron icing my leg, me replaying the experience and both of us cracking up over the idiosyncrasies of life with littles. So it's always best to just laugh at yourself! And with others too :) Now some pictures to prove it! From Emma... Taking life too seriously: guilty. I've discovered that usually when I'm taking life too seriously it's associated with fear. In my last post I talked about things we can't control and I mentioned the writer's retreat I went on Thursday through Saturday. I had some concerns about leaving my son for the first time, missing my husband and potentially having to share a bed with a stranger. Turns out Noah did great and was so tickled to see me when I got home. Hubby missed me which always makes me feel good and I was able to Google Hangout him while I was gone (He's so cute). And I DIDN'T have to share a bed with anyone. I met so many incredible people, all at different places in their lives. Something I noticed is how awesome it felt to be there with people united in passions. Everyone that attended loves to write and it was empowering to share experience and learn from each other. One individual I met was a huge inspiration to me. She taught me a lot about writing but also about keeping a healthy life perspective through humor. We were chatting one day and she was talking about one of her kids. When she gets really mad he says, "Wemember mom (his R's sound like W's), Muwder is wong and you don't look good in owange." The gathering place for the event was a lodge that overlooked a beautiful waterfront and had a fireplace in it. Without being asked she started and kept the fire going throughout the day through the majority of the trip. This included trips to the wood pile (which then had to be hauled uphill) and drying out logs. Everyone present was the recipient of her action, though few knew it was because of her. How often do we take things like that fire for granted, not realizing where it comes from? The last day this woman shared some thoughts with the group and it turns out she and her husband had just closed their business of ten years due to changes in the economy, she'd had two miscarriages in the past four months, and as she walked out the door the mommy pressure set in when her little one yelled from the stairs, "don't go!" With all of this swimming around in her mind she found time to keep a fire lit and laugh because, "muwder is wong and you don't look good in owange." So on that note, if you're ever wondering if things are going to work out, the answer is YES! If we are still breathing our lives are a testament to that. Let go and learn to enjoy living! Take time to laugh and open your heart to the people around you. You never know what you can learn. We are all united in the passion of living. And when things get tough just remember, murder is wrong and most people don't look good in orange. ;)
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who we areSpread the Good: Three sisters embracing the human experience, ups and downs included, inviting others to join the celebration.
AuthorsThree sisters, three years apart, three words: Spread the Good Archives
January 2021
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