Hey Perspective, Move A Bit Will Ya?

When you are frustrated with something more than half your day, it can be really hard to shift your perspective. And I'm not talking about those times where it's just one annoying thing that bugs you all day.  These are the days where it's just one thing after another.

someone spills their juice

while you clean that up someone dumps the sand out of their shoes in the kitchen,

while you get the broom someone has an "accident"

While you plug your nose and try to help them clean up,

someone helps themselves to last night's leftovers in the fridge

When you try to figure out who left dishes everywhere,

someone colors the coffee table with crayons.

THOSE kind of days.  That's the kind of day I was having when the trucker was leaving for his camping trip.  Sadly I know that he was so caught up in his own list of things to realize I was going insane right in front of him.  I was so angry. so JEALOUS that he could just walk through this chaos and not even notice?!?!?  That he felt perfectly confident to leave me alone with all the kids.  He can go off on a fun guys weekend and leave me here

stuck with the kids.

That was the statement that caught my attention.

That was the moment I realized the problem was just as much me.

And THAT was the moment that I made a change.

I am not "stuck with the kids."  I have a great opportunity to just enjoy my kids. To not worry about butting heads with the trucker over what we are doing or where we are going. The only person with plans this weekend was him.  For us, we are not left behind. We suddenly have a 100% plan free weekend. We jumped in the van and headed out.  We had no direction, no agenda, just time. Time, gas in the van, and an opportunity to just do anything.

And so we did.

The Angel Baby slept past eleven Saturday morning, because our adventuring just seemed to fly by.  I had no concept of time when we finally realized it was eleven p.m. and we were still not home.  Everyone was happy, everyone was relaxed. I did not get my kids to bed until almost midnight.  

Saturday was not horrible either. No one seemed to be worse for wear from staying up super late. Which is odd, quite often I have someone grumbling or whining after a really late night.  Saturday was another opportunity to just play. We had a birthday party to attend for my niece, but otherwise, not one ounce of planning involved.  Another fun late night (but not nearly as late for Angel Baby) just family.  Just games and giggles and play. (Art challenged me to Just Dance 2 on the Wii.  I think we are tied for scores, but he definitely kicked my butt when I woke up with sore legs and feet this morning and he just jumped back into the game.)

It's not that we don't miss the trucker. We do.  And it's not like we don't have family times like these.  Just not many.  The trucker has travel in his blood. He can't sit still. He needs entertainment and things to do.  I guess that's why he likes his job. He's always going somewhere.  We like to have these kinds of breaks where there is just NO AGENDA.   It's good for everyone.

This morning I asked the boys if they were ready for a SUPER AMAZING CRAZY BUSY DAY FULL OF FUN AND ADVENTURE.

They said "No."  Which is good, I have laundry to do and toys to tidy. I also need to finish some work that I didn't get after on Friday and catch up to the latest online. haha.

(sorry for the lack of pictures... the trucker has the good camera.)