Just as Sienna emerged from her room, I gathered her up for a big hug this morning. She fits so perfectly in my embrace these days, as she’s just a few inches shorter than me! We hugged for a minute and then made our way to the living room. I noticed the copy of her Speech Meet poem on the table. “Is this the one you need to turn in or an extra?” I asked.
“It’s the one,” she sleepily replied. “The ONE?!” I joked in a silly voice. “The ONE!” she repeated in a little babyish voice as she put her face right up to mine. We giggled as we stepped into the kitchen where Dennis was making eggs.
“I love mornings like this; when mom is silly and dad is making breakfast,” Sienna said.
As the morning routine continued, I did a quick workout in the garage, took a shower and got ready for work as the kids ate breakfast. Dennis and Teo started a couple games of air hockey in the garage since they had time to kill! At 7:30 am, I went to pack up my lunch when I saw the kids unpacked lunch boxes sitting on the counter.
“Oh, I completely forgot to pack lunches!” I exclaimed as I quickly calculated that I had ten minutes before Dennis and the kids needed to leave for school. Sienna came over and asked, “Do you need help?”
“Yes, grab out the little containers for your cookie dough dip please.” (It’s a delicious treat as part of our bean protocol – check out the recipe in the link!)
We worked together and got the lunches packed up quickly. As we worked, I thought about my reaction to this slight misstep in our morning. I’d given myself grace and reacted with compassion, rather than frustration! When I’m in my unhealthy perfectionist mindset, this kind of mistake would cause me to be cranky with my family and angry with myself. Being lighthearted and modeling for my children that mistakes are normal and okay is what I want to do, though it’s easier said than done.
Dennis came into the kitchen as we were hustling to finish the lunches. I remembered Sienna’s comment about my silliness and quipped, “You know what I could have said when I remembered the lunches? ‘You kids want to eat AGAIN today?! Do you need to eat EVERY DAY?!'” Sienna and Dennis laughed with me.
The everyday routine of kids, school, work, chores, and all the rest can be draining and repetitive. At the same time, these are the moments of connection with the ones we love most, and thankfully a little silliness can sometimes save your morning.
