{Lessons from Spring Break Day 1} Not Perfect, But Really Good

This week has been Spring Break.  Glorious Spring Break.  Love it.

Not because the weather all of a sudden becomes so warm and perfect we can FINALLY get back outdoors.  It doesn't.  In that regard, Spring is the one season Colorado doesn't do well.

I don't love Spring Break because we go on some grand vacation.  Or any vacation for that matter.  Besides the occasional day trip to Breckenridge, we stay home.

We stay home.

Did you hear that?

We stay home.

We do NOTHING.

And by NOTHING, I mean NOTHING that isn't life giving.

Of course, spending an entire straight week doing nothing but what I enjoy is as impossible for me as it is for you.

And I have learned, it is impossible.

Perfection -- having things exactly the way I want them all the time -- is always a wrong expectation.

Things will not be perfect, but I know that they can be really good.

During Spring Break, we sleep alot.

It's quiet.  Calm.  As calm as our house can be.

Glorious.

SPRING BREAK DAY 1

1.  Sleep in.  Check.

2.   Make something NEW, HEALTHY and DELICIOUS for breakfast (which I plan to do every morning of Spring Break because I want too) .  Check.  Well, sort of...

I tried these...

PALEO BANANA PANCAKES.

They look good right?  Trust me.  If you haven't eaten a pancake IN A YEAR, they look AMAZING.

I found the three ingredient recipe through pinterest on the blog Haus of Gerz.

Just three ingredients.  How could I mess it up?

And yet...

In all fairness, I think it was the ALTITUDE.

The texture was all wrong.  The entire family hated them.

For the second batch I added 1 scoop of Protein Powder.  And it helped.  They looked like they were suppose too.  Still -- we were already tainted.  We'll try it again on another day...

Cooking bacon in the George Foreman Grill however was genius.

7 minutes.  Delicious.  Easy clean up.

Mix a little protein mix in with my coffee -- and all was not lost.

3.   DISCIPLINE TEENAGER.  I said our day was good.  Not perfect.

Listen, a week (actually ANY given amount of time) is TOO LONG to be at home with a child who is for lack of better term IGNORING you.

Me, "When you enter my spotless kitchen to make food -- I expect you too completely clean ALL of your dishes and wipe off the counters.  Did you hear me?  ALL of your DISHES.  Wipe off the counters."

I was clear.  The task was not too hard.  The child does not have a hearing problem.

And yet.

And yet...

Well, you know.  

There the dishes and the crumbs were -- an hour later.  

Mocking me.

So, my reaction was quick and concise.

Me, "You aren't going to practice today.  You can't go be your best in public and ignore me at home. Ignoring me is the SAME as disrespecting me.  I can't be at home all week with you, enjoying spring break with you AND be being disrespected by you.  Something has to give.  That something is YOU.  If you want to go to practice TOMORROW, I'd suggest you practice cleaning the kitchen all day."

My kitchen (and sanity) has thanked me for that move for the last 3 days.

My future daughter-in-law will thank me for it as well.  :)

4.   Play Play-Doh with Eli.

Lest you think somehow by my career choice that I am that mom who naturally LIKES to sit down and play children's games when I am home, our conversation went like this...

Eli, "Mom, I wish you'd play play-doh with me."

Me, "Eli, I don't like to play play-doh."

Eli, "Well, you used too."

Guilt.

It worked on me.

TA-DAH!

5.   Have Eli read to me. Check!

He's reading!

Did you hear that world?

He's reading!

Both Braille and REGULAR PRINT!  With his one seeing eyeball!

It's a miracle.  Seriously.  It really is.  You don't even know.

He read this to me...

And, I read these to him...

We are working on covering the CLASSICS.  :)

I read to myself too.  I am enjoying this...

And this...

(Her sensibilities on diet, exercise and loving and caring for your body are remarkable -- and easy to understand.) 

And this...

Someone asked me why I was reading "her".  The answer is simple.

Because I want too.

It's funny.  No points.  Just fun.

Confession:  I don't just read Christian authors or subjects.  I enjoy (and even find it valuable) to read things written by all kinds of various people who are shaping our culture.  Especially those who are different from me.  It's ok if you don't follow suit.  Or, it's ok if you do.  I don't mind either way.  :)

6.  Workout.  Check.

I really want to start Crossfit.  But because I'm a little bit chicken, I've committed to 6 weeks (or between now and summer) of doing At Home Crossfit Beginner Workouts I collected from Pinterest.  Thankfully, B and Ben decided to try it too.  Made it lots more fun.  Also, blare dubstep.  Definitely, blare dubstup.

 Finally, I ended the day with a Bubble bath and Italian Opera on Pandora.  Because I'm diverse.

It wasn't perfect, but it was really good.

And, whereas perfection is my enemy -- I've learned to raise my glass to really good.

Blessings,