Monday, April 18, 2011

Do you Suffer?

Do any of you suffer like me?

Cecily's exceptionally unique bed head.

1--From bad hair days?
I am pretty lucky in that I have naturally curly hair. So basically that means I don't do it. Because I'm low maintenance like that. And I don't really know how to do my hair. Unluckily, for my daughters, they suffer too, or should I say, their hair does? I can barely do a french braid. So, to Tyler's chagrin, they look like homeless children.

2--Mice infestation.

It started late one night. When you finally settle into bed. Usually much later than your poor lonely husband. When the house is so quiet that you can hear every little rustle of every child's bed cover. Every car zooming up the road. Every mouse scuttering (that's not really a word) across the kitchen floor. Oh, wait. Eek! Or the very tiny chewing sounds. Ach! Yes, my friends, the evidence is just not in the little black terds that you find underneath the sink or in the pantry. They manifest themselves when you heave the 1 ton fridge out of it's corner and see it running for it's dear life. Tyler asked why I didn't just whack it with a broom. Are you kidding me ?!?! I was standing on my tippy-toes on a chair trying to avoid the tiny, furry thing. Yes, people, we have another family living with us.

3--Perfection syndrome.

I want to be perfect. What does this mean? Well, I want to have a clean home. I want to be slim. I want to have kind, well behaved children. I want to make well-balanced healthy meals every day. I want to be a loving spouse. I want to ready my scriptures every day. I want to make beautiful desserts and pass them out to friends. I want to blog, craft, sew, read, photograph and capture every moment. I want it all and more! But then I suffer trying to achieve it....all....at...once. That's the problem. I am not patient. I need to wait for each season and phase of life to teach me how to learn and grow and stretch. Yeah, I want to be perfect.

4--Killing plants.
See all these lovely flowers? It's the most we've ever had inside our home at once. Most of them I received from my birthday. The tulips are leftover from a law school spouse board (Law Partners) that I'm on. And the lovely little plants were gifts also. And somehow they've all died already. I didn't buy soil in time to plant them. I didn't know the best/most convenient place to find it. Bad excuse, I know. One day I'll have a green thumb, or maybe at least a gray one.


5--Too many hobbies.

I am interested in too many things. I never thought this would be possible. I always thought Tyler was the one with all the skills. Now, I feel, I've "caught up" with him. The problem with being interested in too many things at once is that something's gotta be put off or just plain suffer. And in my case, it's the housework and my children. Have you ever thought that "those creative types" always have a messy home or a life in disarray? Well, I used to...until it happened to me. I am one of those creative types, more than ever before. And my life....is also more "creative" than before. It's like a ping-pong match with myself.

"Create something, 1 point. Messy house, 1 point. Clean house, 1 point. Dang that skirt looks so fun to make, 1 point. Etc, etc. "

Something I'm trying to work on. One day I'll figure out the balance.

6--Blog Envy.
Do you ever feel like you're blog is not good enough? Not pretty enough? Your photographs not clear enough? Like everyone else has a seemingly perfect life? I do. Sometimes I really have to remind myself that a blog is deceiving. It's hard to know if someone has photoshopped an iron burn out of their carpet. Pushed all the clutter off their sewing table before photographing a re-purposed shirt. Or whose really behind the camera? They're not really wearing the pj's at noon still, are they? They can't be because they are perfect. Haha. Don't be fooled. I have. Oh, and by the way, those are not examples from my personal experience or anything, I mean, who does that?

7--Being poor.
There are a few good things about being poor. We qualify for government programs. We "get to" take out student loans. We can use the "We're poor college students" card. (haha). We get to move a lot which changes things up. We get to meet new people every time we move. And our kids adjust to change better. We have time to dream and plan for our future home :) But really, the main reason I've loved being poor, is that it's forced me to be creative. If I had money to spend, I would gladly do it, instead of creating it myself. But because I cannot I've had to think of inexpensive yet tasteful ways to beautify my home. I get to make and re-purpose clothing for my children. I get to develop talents I never knew I had. Seriously, this has been a huge blessing.


And how many of you suffer from having children that you want to eat because they are just too dang cute? Ya, I thought so :)