My house is messy...

My house is messy... 

... But it is a revolving mess!

This makes me feel better about the messiness.

I do have a few stacks of papers or miscellaneous clutter that piles up and stays that way a bit longer than I like to confess, but in general the mess you see today will be different than the one we had on display yesterday! And come again tomorrow (if you dare) and yet a whole 'nother set of toys will be strewn all over.

We do clean up! We "bless our home" every day, often more than once (especially in the kitchen). It just doesn't STAY clean very long.

This is okay with me because it means we aren't just watching TV all day! It means we're living and loving and learning! ... and these adventures include books, crayons, figurines, costumes, Legos, and play dough...

Unfortunately, messes can be dangerous -- I personally have had to save myself from tripping on toys or suffered the pain of stepping on Legos. When a visitor comes, I warn them to watch out for floor "decor" that could land them on the floor as well.

Sometimes I wonder how I would feel if the Lord himself were to come to my home unannounced. Would my family's obvious inability to immediately put away each item they touch be a source of shame? Or would I trust in the Lord's all-knowing mercy to be able to focus on what the items are and how they indicate our hearts, our goals, our desires to improve and progress, our efforts to learn to share, to interact kindly and calmly, our patience with each other (and with our messes?)

"Cleanliness is next to Godliness" is not actually a scriptural phrase, much to my relief! I acknowledge that the temple, the Lord's home, is kept spotless -- as well as childless! Maybe my home's messiness will lessen as the years go by and my children outgrow their short attention spans. But I'm not counting down the days. I strive to love these little children like Jesus did and spend my time reading to them rather than wrangling with their wreckage.

Meanwhile, the messes revolve and that's good enough for me. They don't stagnate, they don't get ignored, and they don't cause too many injuries. Our schedule includes clean-up time, but the priority is play-and-laugh-and-create-and-imagine-and-enjoy-each-other-and-our-toys time! The amount of time is definitely imbalanced, but in a way that I'm comfortable -- and I think my kids are too. Our sincere apologies to those who are not -- but you're always welcome into our abode if you are able to trust that the mess is not permanent and just overlook it for the time you're here and focus on the fun instead!

Mom, Mom, I chose the right!

My four-year-old has been pointing out to me when he makes a good choice, or when he obeys, or remembers to follow a routine.... It's been a cool thing for me as a mom to hear him report on his personal successes.

I thought maybe he was telling me because he thought I didn't notice... it's true, quite often, that I'm not always aware of what each of my six children is doing. I've talked with mothers of just one and they admit the same thing.

Of course, I get notified when one of the kiddos notices his sibling doing something wrong -- or is the victim of a fellow child's bad behavior. Rarely, though, do they bother to let me know when "all is well in Zion."

So having a son who wants to be recognized a little more often and a little more positively is a nice change from the ol' role of referee!

As this phenomenon has continued for a few weeks now, I think it may not just be about Mommy being told, but I think his little reports are a sort of self-reinforcement.

He is feeling that innate sense of right versus wrong playing out in his own life, and by sharing his discoveries, he is self-congratulating and therefore more likely to continue with the better choices!

I believe God instills that feeling in us, both the simple understanding of what is good, as well as the accompanying joy. He wants us to be happy, and he knows the "secrets" -- that's what the commandments are! As we obey, particularly the most important commandments of loving God and loving each other, we will experience that consequential happiness, and continue on that path.

I want to always remember

Y know how certain moments get etched into your brain? I'm not sure how my brain decides what pictures get burned in but I feel confident that writing about today's preciousness will help with the permanency process.

I took the five kiddos that are mine and only mine this week (Ted took the oldest to Scout Camp) to the local splash pad. Miriam, at age two, wasn't quite sure if this was fun or not. Initially, she just stayed nearby and found a couple of puddles that gave her great pleasure in the footprints they produced. 

As she got more comfortable -- and noticed the joy of her siblings as they ventured off -- she decided to find a spot she could run back and forth to from the safety of me. (By the way, I love love love being my children's safety net!!!)

And so during one of her trips away from me, I worked my brain into etching mode... 

Amidst the sometimes dull, dutiful drudgery of day-in and day-out mothering, may I also remember -- and even choose as a focal point --

Cuter-than-cute little buns peeking out through the wedgie on her swimsuit! 

Hair and skin shining from water mixed with sunscreen. (Yes, I spray her hair with sunscreen hoping to protect her scalp)

Her feet running, skipping, sashaying, zig-zagging... 

Then I hear her let out a "woo-hoo!" almost involuntarily! 

Joy, luckily, is contagious... and I have the blessing of being surrounded by lots of infected little people!