I'm Waving the White Flag...

You guys, I have a teenager and a two-year-old with a bunch of ages in between and I’m officially waving the white flag.

My house looks like a fraternity house and daycare collided.

At any given moment every scrap of floor and every single solitary surface of this house is littered with backpacks and shoes and baby dolls and basketballs and candy wrappers and wooden blocks and nerf darts and legos and soggy pull-ups and gym bags and basketball shoes and SO. MANY. CUPS. and school art projects and Minion underwear and soccer cleats and a toy shopping cart and Play Station controllers and a tricycle and empty chip bags and smelly socks…

This morning, I woke up to find my husband drying off with a HAND towel before work. Again. And I PROMISE that washing machine is ALWAYS running.

Any semblance of order, any system, any sense of ‘balance’ is gone and I’m just winging it.

I run around putting out fires wherever I go.

Toss in a load of laundry, start another load of dishes, clean up, drop kids to school in my pajamas, scramble for something to feed the kids, clean up…

What??? How can we be out of milk already???

Toss in a load of laundry, start another load of dishes, clean up, cart someone off to practice, feed more kids, clean up…

What??? Practice was moved to 6:30???

Toss in a load of laundry, start another load of dishes, clean up, send kids up for showers, feed kids yet again, clean up…

What??? No, I didn’t see the email!! They need WHAT for school tomorrow???

Toss in a load of laundry, start another load of dishes, clean up, tuck kids into bed, eat a bowl of ice cream with chocolate sauce, clean up…

I.DON’T.KNOW!!! DID YOU LOOK IN YOUR LAUNDRY BASKET??? CHECK THE DRYER!!!

If you’re wondering if I got the memo…I didn’t.

If you’re wondering if I know what any of my children are doing in this ‘new’ math…I don’t.

I don’t even care.

My two-year-old still wakes me up during the night and is bright-eyed by 6:30AM while my teenager doesn’t get home from basketball until 9PM then loiters around the kitchen eating and delaying his shower until at least 10.

I’m now working 16-hour-days EVERY SINGLE DAY.

And I’m tired.

I’ve decided there is only one solution…

I’m letting go.

The harder I try to ‘control’ it all or ‘balance’ any of it, the crazier I become so I’m going to just ride the wave.

I’m going to embrace this crazy chaos for the next 16 years and just enjoy what I can.

I’m going to be okay with GOOD ENOUGH.

Good enough HAS TO BE good enough or I will wither up and die.

Who’s with me???

Anyone else ready to surrender??

Can we just embrace the chaos and noise? Embrace the laundry and dishes? Embrace the floor littered with, well…everything??

It means little people live here.

It means our kids are living and learning and growing a little every day.

It means Family is right here in this house making memories and forming relationships that will impact a lifetime.

I’m letting go of ‘balance’ and I’m choosing to see Family Life when I look around today.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some dishes to do.

And I guess I better toss in a load of laundry, too!!!