Some weeks it feels like we do life with the Dora the Explorer theme song playing in the background. Everybody sing! "Come on vámonos! Everybody let’s go! Come on let’s get to it! I know that we can do it!” We are in constant motion juggling school schedules, sports schedules, playdates, chores, errands, dinner, and precious family time. It’s madness. “Let’s go!” “Hurry up!” “Where are your shoes!?” “Let’s not be late!” “I hate to be late!” When it’s really bad, we get to the end of the week and wonder how in the world we got there with our heads still attached to our bodies and all our limbs in place. Kind of like when you mindlessly drive that familiar route from one place to another and the trip is kind of hazy in your mind’s eye. Yeah, there’s a lot of that too when the madness is upon us. Once we come to the other side we can see the trail of a hot mess behind us. You know, when you have that many balls in the air sometimes you drop one or two. Last week, was one of these whirlwind weeks for us and I looked in the back of Luna (that’s our mom van) and could see the evidence.

This one hurts a bit. It really does. Don't judge. It doesn't always look like this, I promise.

Yes. There it is. Evidence of a mad, hurried, overcrowded week. Right in the floor of the car. It looks like that because we likely spent ALOT of time in that space getting from one place to the other. Usually, we clean it out every evening so there’s a place for our feet the next morning. Yeah. Not so much last week.

While I don’t recommend ordering your life to include constant madness and overcrowded schedules, we are growing together as a family because it teaches us some valuable lessons. We have to be intentional in making plans and arranging schedules. There’s a plan. On a whiteboard. We know what our non-negotiables are, the things that always win space on the schedule. That teaches us that it’s ok to say no to other things and gives us the chance to practice that. We have to pull together, pitch in, and make it work. All of us, even the littlest one. We’re figuring out how to actively look for ways we can contribute above and beyond — even if it means cleaning up someone else’s mess or helping the little one find her shoes. And sometimes, we even do it without complaining. Thankfully, Luna will get cleaned up and there will be place for the kiddos’ feet. It’ll just take each of us grabbing an armful of stuff to get that done. And, it’ll be faster than leaving it for one person. Yeah. Two are better than one and three are even better than two. That’s it. That’s what we’re learning.

This momma is learning to find the teachable moments even in the midst of the madness and mess.

{#RealLife | No. 5}