I think it's been nearly a month since my last post and my creative juices are begging me to indulge today. This isn't a very clever/intellectual post although it is "deep and dirty" (pardon the muddy pun).
It's another post to document life as it charges by, often without a second thought. Today, I pause. (so dramatic, I know ;)
I started today with precious snuggles, cartoons, several cups of coffee and ambitious notions of taking my three hooligans to get groceries. The sun, however, beckoned us outside to play, so we yielded to its call and the morning got away on us.
I took a lawn chair and a coffee (I realize there's reoccurring mention of coffee throughout this post... I may have a problem) out with Zavi tucked under my arm with intentions of sitting and soaking up some rays while my toddlers amused themselves. That lasted all of 5 glorious minutes and then we brought Zavi's exer-saucer out so he could play and watch while I pushed Jett and Kalena on the swings and then we graffiti-ed the playhouse with sidewalk chalk.
Zav was complaining a bit (He's a very happy baby. This is not a common occurrence.) so I went to pick him up and discovered that he'd been doing more than watching/playing. ;) J and Lena were actually playing very nicely together, so I let them know I was taking Zav in to change him and I left them outside on their own for a short while.
Let me be clear. I left them clean, clothed and playing on the grass. Harmless, right?
Our new house is wonderful, but it's currently an island surrounded by dirt. We got a lot of rain yesterday and that dirt became a whole lot more fun... and tempting.
When I got back outside, I found this:
Now, this is when I had an internal argument between my "fun" self and my "responsible" self. Is a mom supposed to shut this down right away to ensure minimal damage? Is it wrong to encourage (by way of omission-- I did not suggest they go in the mud) messy play?
Often, when I find myself feeling agitated because of how/what the kids are playing, I ask myself, did I play this way when I was little? Most often, the answer is, yes. I can remember screaming at the top of my lungs with my friends, just for the sake of seeing who could be the loudest. I dug in the dirt for worms, 'decorated' anything I could get away with and yes, I loved the squishy feel of mud between my toes.
So I let this happen.
Both kids "lost" their pants early on in their muddy play. I've carefully selected pics that don't showcase their "natural selves" too much.
For close to a half an hour, I let my two eldest cover themselves with wonderfully squishy mud and they were blissfully happy.
I decided that it was time to re-enter the realm of the clean-ish when Zavi fell asleep in his chair, so we had a window of opportunity. I made the kids walk across the yard to the barn while I carried some towels and boots for them. While they passed puddles, I jokingly told them not to go in the puddles because they might get dirty... they didn't get it, but I appreciated my own humour.
In the barn, the kids were stripped and I hosed them off with decently pressured water. This was less fun than the mud was for the kids. (More fun for me) I wrapped them in towels and brought them back to the house for a warm bath that returned cleanliness and order to our world.
I truly do struggle with finding balance in raising my kids some days. I love the energy and spunk that radiates from my wee ones (most of the time) but I also heavily feel the responsibility to raise godly, loving and disciplined children who are able to discern what is right and wrong. I love the idea of being a "fun mom", but also understand how important it is to bring safety and order to the lives of my children. I know that I don't always make the right decision, but I pray daily for God's grace to cover my mistakes and help my children grow in wisdom and understanding in spite of me.
Sometimes, though, it's okay to get dirty. Life is messy. ;)
PLUS there are health benefits to mud. I googled it, so it must be true ;) CHECK IT OUT HERE
Today is good.
