Tuesday, August 16, 2011

plan b

There are some days when the street I travel on seems to have "danger ahead" signs posted by each step that I trod.

When the children overfed the dog and filled the bowl to the brim after he'd already eaten and food was scattered all over the backyard, I wondered if it was possible to go back to bed. I questioned them several times to figure out how many bowls of food they had given him and I could not get much more than a silly "600".

Numbers are relative to preschoolers.

And as I prepped to grab our beach gear, my oldest thought it would be okay to open the garage door despite that fact that we have a "do not open the garage door without our permission" rule in this house.

It wasn't a child hit by a car that I freaked out at when I walked downstairs, but little feet walking in freshly laid tar from the crew resurfacing our street. The tiny black footprints didn't add to my mood either.

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My angry meter was running high and I could feel the blood rushing through my veins.

We passed this on our way out to the car parked down the street in a non-resurfacing area.

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I think it was speaking to me. Or perhaps to my children regarding my angry meter. Perhaps both.

After pulling the last buckle into it's place and double checking all things for the day, I launched into my "I have a fun day planned for us, but your poor behavior has disappointed me" speech.

As if it is all about me.

More drama unfolded with disappointing news about the homeschool hybrid program we're trying to get into, a moment of a lost debit card, and the inability to get Pedro's bean and cheese burrito because there's a $5 cash minimum for debit cards.

All I saw in my mind was that dang yellow and black caution tape.

Hyper children turned into fighting children as we drove north to the "fun day" destination: the tide pools.

My angry meter continued to rise.

As did my sweet Charlie's emotions. I stared at his pensive face in the rearview mirror after I calmed him down and apologized.

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I wanted no part in breaking this guy's spirit. I knew that the day was not about me. It wasn't even about me creating a day for them.

It was just about them. Period.

As we arrived at our destination in Dana Point, we strolled to the tide pools until we discovered that it was high tide.

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The kids didn't mind though. They didn't complain. They simply found joy in the other treasures around them.

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Oh I want to be more like them and less like me.

As we moved quickly to plan B: Baby Beach, the kids took off and played hard. Kids have a knack for owning plan B as if it were their plan A.

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I want to be more like that too.

Much love,
Katie

treeofolive

19 comments:

grey rose (they/them) said...

oh, i want to be like them, too! what a great post, katie-really met me where i am. thanks for sharing.

great photos, too! love you. xo

Rusty said...

Did Luke have a growth spurt????????

Rachael said...

wow, glad to know I am not the only one whose angry meter was running high yesterday. Your words were comforting to me.

amy said...

I want to be more like that too especially seeing how most all of my days are 'plan b' kinda days... :)
Your plan b looked lovely.

Laurie J said...

oh, the plan b! no wonder God tells us to come to Him with the heart of a child....they're so willing to yield to whatever comes their way. Me?! not so much. thanks, katie! <3 <3 <3

ashley marie wilson said...

I guess it's part of that "child like" nature the Lord wants us to have...always finding joy and loving it with all heart genuinly... beautiful post. your honesty i'm sure will encourage others when their caution tape warning flashes before their eyes ;)

xoxo
ashley
http://laluceimagery.blogspot.com

Karen said...

There must have been something in the air causing the angry meters to run high. What happened with the school?? Darn you Pedro's! I usually run back to the comfort of home when things start unraveling like that... you are awesome you kept going and the kids got to have so much fun! I want to be like them too!

sarah said...

i wish it were so easy sometimes for us mommys to just turn it off. :) you are such a great mama!!! :) and beautiful pics too btw!!

April said...

you are stinkin cute too!
xoxo

Heather @ we.are.the.holdens said...

Katie your pictures are wonderful and so beautiful. You are an awesome momma and so thoughtful. :)

The Olive Tree Blog said...

oh no! you wouldn't be a mommy if you didn't have mornings like this...lol. So true on the change of attitude...lovely post, thanks for linking up!!

Marie said...

thanks for this! sweet boys:) the amazing thing is the grace that our children extend to us when we are acting mean or childish! very humbling. you are a good mama!

Susan said...

Such an amazing post Katie!
And so true. I try so hard all.the.time to remember it's about them and not me sometimes. Finally with my third - I am getting better.
I love.love.love these pictures!
xo

Anonymous said...

Kids teach us so much... They are great at going with the flow sometimes! I love this post...It really made me think, and reflect. And it's sorta similar to my own post which I linked up to The Olive Tree as well. :0) Sometimes things happen that make me so gosh darn MAD, and I want to yell. And sometimes I do...Not gonna lie. But I always try to remember to show love, grace and forgiveness. And patience...lots of patience. Thanks for sharing your story. All moms have these days. It's nice to be reminded that I'm not the only one. Love the pics, too!

Melissa said...

What a great plan b! I love when bad days turn out to be the best :)

Jazmin @ My Little Memory Jar said...

Awww. I am so happy things turned out better in the end. Its pretty amazing how that can happen sometimes.

♥Jazmin

Rebecca said...

3 cheers for plan B!!! Well written post Katie!
Thank you!

Rebecca

likeschocolate said...

Glad you had such a fantastic afternoon despite all the bad things that happened.

Charla Liedahl said...

I love your thought that kids have a knack for accepting Plan B as if it were Plan A. True true. I need this lesson! Thanks for sharing!