Prioritizing my Schedule or Scheduling my Priorities

SH2 is always the first awake.  She pads silently into our room at 6:32 every morning.  I can set my watch to it and actually often use her as my alarm clock.   She whispers one inch from my face, “Mommy the owl is green” (Onaroo Night Owl Portable Night-Light with OK to Wake!) which she knows is her ticket to cuddle. 

I knew I should have been up 30 min prior and was going to be late to work, but oh I how love those few minutes of just SH2 and I cuddle time.  Competing priorities...  Just as I get her settled into the crook of my arm she says, “Mommy you are stinky, you need to take a shower.”  Great, I thought, I will never wear perfume again.  Clearly SH2 is not a fan of perfume—or more likely she is not used to it.  I explained that I would not be able to shower as I was already getting a late start for work, but got out of bed and encouraged her to cuddle Daddy.  She was in a bit of a silly mood because we segued rather quickly into, “Mommy why are your boobs so big?”  With a bit of pride, I reminded her how I fed her little sister SH3 for a year, herself and her brother.  She could not be bothered with these answers and asked if she could live in my boobs when she is little and the obvious question of if there was guacamole in there.  Having debunked all myths about my boobs hiding babies, her ability to shrink, and guacamole, her brother SH1 waltzed in dressed and ready for his day.  He is turning 6 in a few days and is beyond excited.  He asks me about his hair, should he comb it?  

SH1 will be happy with anything, he just wants a special day.  He wanted to go by the cake section of the grocery store to look for his cake; he wants to show me his super awesome spin jump in the middle of the grocery store aisle.  I want to get out of the store without someone overhearing me threaten their lives if they use one more item as a bongo drum.  Competing priorities...

I had to work this weekend and took a weekday off.  With SH2 at preschool and SH1 in school there was nothing constructive I was going to do at home, so I went to exercise class and prayed, sweated, and danced (Don't think prayer and exercising go together? Revelation Wellness will prove you wrong) and it was so fun.  One of the girls brought up going for coffee together afterwards.  My gut reaction was "no" as I sequester all socialization into the few hours after the kids are in bed and before they get up.  Competing priorities...  A million things started filing in on my to-do list and they marched through my head.  I went for coffee, community, and almond blackberry buckle cake.  The world did not cave in, I was home in time for my husband to get SH1 from school, wash the dogs, and make lots of mud with the kids.  Homework was done, homemade photo valentines printed (Please don't judge us for making valentines, we honestly are not THAT together. Here is a blog explaining why we did it.) and special teacher valentine hand crafted by SH1.

My funny Valentine!
Thanks to Pinterest and Mommy Savers for this awesome idea 

My now 6 year old SH1 saw the streamers on his chair and Happy Birthday banner over the window and danced in his socks with delight.  It occurred to me that this competition of priorities was all in my head.  I am so worried about getting all of it done that I didn't see that what is really important will get done.  I can't help but wonder if I would have bathed the smelliest dogs ever, played in the mud, and encouraged artistic endeavours if my spirits had not been renewed by a non-fat vanilla latte with my friends.  

Do your work with your whole heart, and you will succeed - there's so little competition.

Elbert Hubbard