Days Long...Years Short

over the last month, i've been slowing down. and by slowing down, i don't mean i'm getting more rest or life is ay less hectic. by slowing down, i mean, i'm purposely enjoying life as the mother of three young children. instead of looking to the next thing we need to do to get through our day together or what works best for our schedule or rushing through my to-do list (that never ends, by the way), i'm letting the day take us where it wants to go.

for me that means walking home from school with my 3-year-old and letting him throw rocks in the creek for as long as he wants. who cares if the baby falls asleep in the stroller instead of his crib? (incidentally it was about 45 minutes of rock throwing, leaf-boat making, etc.). it means listening to my 6-year-old daughter complain about the scratch on her knee instead being distracted by dinner preparations. then, giving her a long hug to let her know i am there. hey, if they get hungry, i'll give them a couple slices of apple to tide them over. and, it means sitting with my baby after he wakes up at 11 p.m. for no apparent reason. and instead of putting him right back to bed, giggling with him in the dark as he makes kissing noises while grabbing the glasses away from my tired eyes.

now, before you up and think i'm going to start sitting around singing "kumbaya" while my kids running amuck wearing nothing but fig leaves...i am still me. i am still going to make sure the toy room is straight before my head hits the pillow at night no matter how tired i am. i'm still going to make sure the kids fix their beds before heading down for breakfast. and my daughter's hair? well, that is a battle i've recently let go, but man, that half-brushed stringy hair touches on every nerve in my anal-retentive body. with that being said, it's nice to relinquish a little of that control and just say, "fuck it."

recently, a close friend told me she is expecting her third child. i literally jumped up and down, screaming with excitement. "it is the best!" i squealed. and, honestly, if you let yourself ride the wave from time to time....it truly is.