I Never..

I have never played "I never". But that's not what I'm writing about.

I'm going to confess something I did for the very first time ever in my mothering career tonight.

Drum roll...

OK it's not really drum roll worthy. It's not even a big deal, to be honest.

After grocery shopping with the 4 youngest boys (who behaved wonderfully) and doing lots of laundry and the husband working a double, I had to take *N* and his brothers (minus the teenager) to baseball practice at 5:15. Up until this point I was cruising along with no problems or stress. I knew a crash was coming but I didn't know what would send me over the edge.

It was sunny, in the mid 80s and a little humid but it felt like we were roasting out there. I got them all packed up in the van to head home and we were all sweaty and tired and I was cranky.
The thought of making dinner filled me with such dread and misery (there's the edge I knew was coming) that I said, "How would you like a special treat for dinner?"

A chorus of "Yays!" filled my ears. Then, "What is it?" I said..and here's the thing I've never done before..."What would you think about having ice cream for dinner?" Yes, folks, I became as cool as a rock star in that moment ..for just a little while. :) (OK, probably not a rock star, because none of them are into rock stars yet...as cool as Phineas and Ferb, maybe....)

So my children enjoyed ice cream and Popsicles for dinner. They also ended up eating cereal and crackers. It's not a regular thing and it made my evening soooo much more pleasant. No cooking, no pots and pans and a much less harried mom.

Sometimes thinking outside the box means pulling out a box of Popsicles. Sometimes getting through a day means making a less than stellar choice just this once. (Although I expect that at least one of my boys will insist that ice cream for dinner is a post-practice tradition..because we did it once and that makes a tradition in their minds. ;) )

I pray that you can find ways to make those stressful times a little more bearable once in a while. It might not always be about popsicles and ice cream but being flexible and open to doing things a little differently.

-Peace