Hurry up and wait.

With the rush rush of todays society it is very easy to get carried along with the tide or to feel stressed about needing more time.Well we manage our own time and sometime put this unnecessary stress upon ourselves without realizing it.Yes it is much faster if I put Ollie's shoes and jacket on or do the chest buckle on his seat but the simple fact is that he likes to do these things himself.This is how they all learn independence and gain new skills.Griffin would probably have mastered wiping his own bum quicker if I just sucked it up and dealt with the crap (pun intended)for a few months instead of letting my anal side take over.I realized this morning as I was making Griffin's bed,that I am just making my job harder in the long run.Griff is nearly five,he could probably definately make his own bed.It wouldn't be all tucked and turned like I like to do it but it is a life skill that will help him become more responsible for himself.As much as I am responsible for these precious gifts that have been bestowed upon me ,it is also my duty to loosen my mama bear grip when the time is right and I realize now that I haven't been paying attention to my children's cues as well as I thought.So before number four joins us for this fun ride I figured that I should take some time out to figure out what they can do and what they still need me to do. As I was making lunch for the boys today Ollie came in and insisted that he make his own sandwich.The impatient side of me wanted lunch on the table to I could get to the clutter in the kitchen but I reminded myself that the clutter can stay for an extra five minutes and I handed him a knife (nice and blunt in case you are worrying!) and his bread. You can see how proud he is in this picture.I think I will put it on the fridge to remind myself that even though these things may take a while longer at the start,the pleasure and sense of accomplishment that they feel from doing these little things means more,much much more to me than an uncluttered kitchen counter.That can wait.In ten,fifteen years time when my nest will be on it's way to empty I will have all the turned and tucked beds and uncluttered kitchens that my little anal heart desires but I will also have these memories that have been created from teaching the little ones the skills to take with them when they do fly the nest. I must have been rewarded for my new vision with some sort of karma drop in as I have been wishing for one of these  but not liking the price and knowing that hubby certainly wouldn't like the price at the moment with our house repairs that are going on.So I have been checking the thrift stores on a regular (see,weekly) basis. finally today,yeehaw..for the princely sum of $2 I found my self a nice sized coffee press.Yay now I can take that unsightly 12 cup counter clutterer and hide it in the cupboard until it absolutely HAS to make an appearence.

cheerio :0)