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Thursday, January 15, 2009

The joy in the mess.

Hair clips, plastic rings, little ponies, naked baby dolls, tea cups, princess gowns, matching high heels, Fancy Nancy and Pinkalicious, a cash register with play money, miniature plastic food, anything pink.

Lego bricks, swords, pirate ships, plastic spiders,paper airplanes, video games, Lego bricks, dump trucks, rocks, plastic guns, Bionicles, Star Wars figures, Lego bricks, Goosebumps books, Lego bricks, anything camouflage.

Being a mom means learning to be content with a house that is neither clean nor organized.

And being a mom means hoping and praying that all the joy and all the love you find among the tiny plastic pieces, the sticky table tops and the worn furniture will last a lifetime - long after the messes and the mess-makers are gone.


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23 comments:

Jill @ Sneaky Momma said...

I love the way you wrote this. It is beautiful.

"The days seem to pass by so slowly but the years are vanishing in an instant. I want to remember it all." My sentiments exactly. :)

Mari said...

So true! What a great post. My kids are grown and there are no little figurines, cars, jewelry around anymore. It's a lot easier to keep the house looking nice but I do miss those cute little kids that used to run around here!

BlondeMomBlog (Jamie) said...

I love it. I need to remind myself of this on those days I get frustrated about my house looking like a hurricane blew threw it! ;)

Kim said...

I liked the quote in our MOPS email this week it went something like this:
When you have children the days are long but the years are short.
Thanks for the encouragement because at times it does get frustrating but there is so much joy!

He & Me + 3 said...

Beautiful!

Corey~living and loving said...

awwwwwwww look at you all looking at the bright side.....of the incredible mess. tee hee.....life is good!

Denise said...

Amen.

Rebekah said...

I am so there with you. I have learned to let a lot of things go- I just try to not look down at the floor when I walk by a room

Badness Jones said...

Hear, hear! Well said.

jaime said...

SO TRUE! and well put, may i add. It seems I am in a constant battle over toy storage and clean up.

Debbie said...

That is such a beautiful post! Yes, being content is the ultimate goal.

Kimberly said...

This certainly puts things in perspective. Yes, at times I already get frustrated when I see my one year old son scattering the big legos around or pulling the Tupperware out of the cabinet 5 seconds after I put it away. But then I remember that on this day last year he was only one week old. The time is passing by so quickly already.

I don't want to ever catch myself in the position that my house is picture perfect and his childhood is gone.

Thanks for the reminder!

Grandma T said...

And they really do. How blest we are!

Andrea said...

Although I stress about a mess, when I clean it up I am reminded who made them. They aren't going to get any younger, are they? Let them enjoy their childhood!! And like you I have both the boy and the girl messes to clean up. I have to say that the girl toys are a lot harder to keep clean and organized - there are TOO many tiny things!!

Good Post and Reminder!!

Momisodes said...

Thank you so much for the reminder. I SO needed this today after cleaning up my living room that looks like Toys r us exploded in it.

jennwa said...

One day we we going to miss all those little plastic pieces around the house.
Great post, well said!!!!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful post.

In my house it is everything on the first list x2.

America's Next Top Mommy said...

You know what they say, a good mother has happy kids and sticky floors.

In which case I am THE BEST MOTHER IN THE WORLD!! :-)

3 Bay B Chicks said...

A wonderful, wonderful post. Almost poetic in the way you approached it. Isn't it so easy to get caught up in the eternal struggle to keep your house neat and orderly? Your post is a wonderful reminder to slow down for a moment and keep your priorities straight. Thank you!

-Francesca

Tracy Berta-daughter to the King, wife, mother, speaker, writer said...

Beautiful post, Beth!

So true....

Hope to see you tomorrow.

McMommy said...

These reminders always seem to come at the perfect time. Thank you!!

Angi said...

Well said - I have to remember to do the dishes later - read to the kids, play with them, snuggle and laugh now - time goes by soooo quickly!

Jenn said...

That is so very true! I gave up on having a picture perfect house soon after my first child was born. Once the kids are grown, it'll be the grandkids to leave the messes! Gotta love those kids!