Tuesday 22 January 2013

triscuit crumbs in the sheets

I come out of quarantine to write to you today. Pretty much since Christmas it's been one bout of sickness after another. Sure, we've had small pockets of good health here and there, but for the most part one or all of us has had some sort of bug. Thankfully, it's been nothing serious, but our house has definitely been more chaotic than usual as we struggle to keep our heads above water in this germ infested pool.

There is a huge pile of laundry in the bedroom and one load that's been sitting in the dryer for three days. There is a stack of dishes by the sink, food smeared all over the floor. Isaac's latest thing is to continually "reorganize" the front hallway, so it is barely passable because of all the shoes, hats, and mitts scattered everywhere. We haven't seen the main set of car keys for two days (another one of Isaac's latest things: he takes them and tries to stick them in keyholes). Top it off with a deluge of dirty kleenexes and you've got an idea of what we're living in.

Last night I crawled into bed only to be greeted by a bumpy, scratchy sensation. Of course. Earlier in the day Isaac had been bouncing on our bed, eating a triscuit (my fault, for letting him).

Sometimes the continual mess makes me feel like I'm going to lose my mind. Everything has either been hidden by Isaac or hidden from Isaac, so I can never find anything. Some days every other step crushes a cheerio and there are no matching socks and Isaac literally follows me around and untidies everything that I try to tidy. It can be gut-wrenchingly frustrating.

But last night, as I brushed the triscuit crumbs off the sheets I remembered (for once) to be thankful. Even with all of our colds and flus, we have no serious health problems. We have never had the terrifying experience of rushing our child to the hospital for an emergency. And our house is a mess, but it is made a mess by such a charming little man that sometimes I think my heart is going to burst. I am so thankful that God has given us our little monkey. I am so thankful that he has the health and spirit to turn our home upside down everyday. Last night I realized that triscuit crumbs in the sheets are a very, very small price to pay.

2 comments:

  1. Sounds absolutely perfect! Hope you're all feeling better soon!

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  2. About three months after we moved in to our new house, this is exactly how we lived our lives—under a big pile of mess. Until I have had it and could not concentrate anymore with work because of the stress the mess is causing everyone. The wisest move I did was to hire a cleaning crew to help us out with the general cleaning. It was such a tremendous relief afterward, with the house spotless and not one carton in sight.

    Tyler Perkins

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