Just Enough!

Life has been moving a million miles a minute, and also seemingly going by at glacial speed. Isn't that the way it is?

A lot of days, I feel like I am running around doing seventy million things, but at the end of the day, I have nothing to show for it.  I pick up the house nine billion times in a day, feed snacks, make meals, nurse Violet eight billion times, go to the store, clothe everyone (again and again), give them baths, change diapers, do the laundry, help with homework and piano practice, provide enrichment, go to the park, drive to and from school, swimming, piano, etc.

It is a lot.  And at the end of the day, I press reset and get up the next day and do it all over again.  Some days it feels futile, but I know each day we  move forward and we are building...these girls are growing and building each and every day.





We have little conversations when I least expect it about important things - conversations that happen over breakfast or the drive to school.

Last week Paprika asked me what rich and poor meant.  We talked about how all rich and poor means is how much money you have...nothing else.  And that a person can be rich in other ways than money.  And that some people work very hard and still have little money and others don't work much at all but have a lot of money.  And that money can't make you happy or make you a better person.  It just means that you can buy more things, but not more time. 

Paprika wanted to know if we were rich or poor, and I told he we were in the middle and we have just enough.  Some people have more, some people have less - and we are happy. 

Then we talked about Hiwot, the little girl we sponsor through Compassion.  Paprika is always writing letters to Hiwot and she wanted to know if Hiwot was rich or poor.  I told her that she had less money than we have but that we send her money each month so that she can go to school and have food, clean water, etc. 

Paprika wanted to know if she could send Hiwot all her savings in her piggy bank and if she could send Hiwot all her toys.  She wondered why we don't all split the money in the world evenly, so everyone has just enough.



It's conversations like that one that make me happy to be here - be present - and help me know why I am here, doing the futile work of mothering every day.  Because it's really not futile.  And these girls really do teach me more than I could ever teach them.  ;-)

Paprika is really into Yo-Yo Ma right now.  She loves listening to his performances, and watching him on YouTube (or You Tub, as she calls it).  Last week I was showing her some of his early performances, and at that moment, I was certain I was the best mom in the whole world.

Just then, Violet walked in the room foaming at the mouth with some black gravel she'd tried eating in the backyard.  Yes - I took off my Mother of the Year crown right then and there.  I'm not perfect - just doing my best!  ;-)

Have you seen this video?  We watched it about a year ago, and it impacts us to this day.   Whenever the girls are needing a bit of confidence, or even just a little invigoration, we all jump up and shout:  Victory!!!!

Victory was actually one of Violet's very first words.  That and Barbie!  I think it's because B and E are the easiest things for Violet to pronounce.  That's what I'm telling myself, anyway.  Ha!

Here are the girls mid-Victory pose: 



We have a lot of park days.  On Monday, we found a perfect park right by Paprika's piano lessons!  I am so excited - the piano studio we go to is so claustrophobic - how much better to escape and have half an hour at the park instead?  (This is not that park - it's a different one we love, too - I call this one: our home away from home!)




While Paprika is at school, I try to take Ginger and Violet to the park - any park - for at least an hour or two every day.  It doesn't always work out that way, but when it does, I am always so glad we did it.

Ginger usually makes a friend or two - she loves playing with boys so much - and calls them her boyfriends.  I know she means boy friends...not boyfriends (because she doesn't know what a boyfriend is).

Violet loves to run and play and generally do anything daredevil she can find.  No fear in this one, I tell ya!




See?!





This is random, but Mr. M is working really crazy hours this season on DWTS.  So, some nights he stays at work very late or works straight through the night (like 40 hours in a row kind of days).  Well, on those nights I let Ginger sleep in my bed because she loves to do that and if Mr. M comes home, it's at 4am or later - so he can sleep better in the guest room.  Violet also sleeps in my bed on those nights - so it's me, Ginger and Violet all in the master bed (plus Daisy on the floor) with Paprika up in her bedroom by herself.

Well - this was working out fine.  But then one night around 2am, Paprika came to my bedroom crying because she didn't want to sleep in her room by herself without Ginger.  I told her I was sorry, but there was no room on the bed.  The only place to sleep was the crib.  She left the room and a minute later was back with a stepstool, her pillow, and her blankets.  ;-)   This was the scene the next morning:




And this was the scene up in her bed!  ;-)



So that's not an everyday occurrence - just so ya know.  Only when Mr. M is working overnight shifts.  Can you imagine - all of us in one room plus Daisy Dog?  Why do we have three bedrooms again?!  Ah well, it is a sweet season of life.  I know it will be gone before I blink.

Speaking of Daisy, she turned two on Monday.  We had a mini Dog Party for her.  Cupcakes from Sprinkles for us, and Turkey and Cheese for Daisy! ;-)  She was a happy girl!





The End!