Today

Phinny is teething. He's not handling it well. I have had very few moments of a free hand today. I love the cuddles. But poor kid. I can't remember what it feels like to get teeth, but it doesn't seem pleasant.

Today was a laundry processing day. Linens and all. When I went to change the laundry to the dryer, the little broom from our dust pan fell out of the washer. It had gone through the wash. The bristles had slightly melted together from the heat of the hot wash. Awesome. The dust pan fell out a few articles of clothing later. I laughed. The bigger kids heard me from upstairs and came running down to see what was so funny. At least the dustpan and broom are clean. Rewashed the load though - just in case.

When making dinner the oil in the pan for sautéing the vegetables overheated and started splattering all over the kitchen. I had to look for a long handled spoon to push the pot off the hot burner just to stop the splatters while Phineas voiced his displeasure with me about needing to be put in the activity centre. The stove, wall, side of fridge, table and floor were all slickly covered in oil. I threw all the ingredients for the soup in the pot at once. Forget sautéing today, the vegetables could cook together in the soup. I didn't really want to be bothering with it today anyway.

Jason came home and the kitchen looked like it has exploded in one giant mess. I laughed so hard I cried. He laughed. He knows how much I dislike a messy kitchen. Yet, there I was, ignoring it all as I sat at our table in the kitchen; cuddling Phineas with one arm and coloring with Milayla with the other while Atticus chatted to us both about the wonderful pinwheel he was making. The messy kitchen could wait. I was spending time with my kids how we all needed it at that moment.

If life were to read like a book, you would study and remember the things that you highlight/underline/mark. Today, I choose the highlight reading our new library books to the kids on the playroom carpet and getting to read one of our books twice because the kids liked it so much. I will also highlight Phineas cuddled up against my chest, snoozing soundly, during nap time. And the look on Milayla's face as she told me about all the things she was drawing on her sign for their bedroom door; she is so excited about all the letters she is learning to write. And the journal entry that Atticus wrote at nap time about our 'We Love to be a Family Day'; he loves spending time with our family and loves writing/telling about it all. And the laughter that Jason and I shared when he got home because in just an exchange of looks we could communicate our day. And the way the kids join in when we laugh, partly because they just love to laugh and partly because they follow suit is also worth highlighting

Just like many books where there are some pages that you want to highlight every single word, there are also pages that you struggle to see if there is anything important on that page to make note of; life isn't always easy to see the meaning and depth in. And while life is far from feeling like a perfectly edited, well executed novel - it's real - and that means it sometimes gets messy and is often unpredictable but it also means that it is better than any fictional book out there. So while I can't always control what's on the page of my day, I can control what I focus on and how I choose to live those moments. And I must admit, I feel pretty incredible blessed and fortunate to be doing what I am - raising incredibly unique, intelligent and incredible children whom I love more than words alone could ever convey.