Am I really on top of things?

Ok - so I'm patting myself on the back today - feeling like I'm doing an awesome job -staying lucid, clear-minded, organized, clean for a house with four kids, then... I look around...

It is noonish, and I have fed, bathed and dressed all kids, packed a lunch and sent one off to school (sent husband home on vacation and one kid off on "errands" - we have a lot of those too - need shelves, have stuff to mail, need groceries, oldest needs to be picked up from school for ortho, etc.), made all the beds, folded linens, mopped the dining room floor, unpacked from a recent trip, done three loads of laundry, dusted the TV room, straightened the kitchen and done some dishes, answered relevant school and / or other timely project-related emails - more....

I have also showered myself, played with the kids, given the two little ones snacks (and cleaned up the spillage), read a book to the two youngests, etc. HOWEVER .... I see snack cups, stray toys, socks, dirty Crocs, pretzel bits, stray balls and a bunch of toy airplanes all over the floor. There is a pile of mail and newspaper, my husband's laptop, several cameras and a bunch of broken toys on the dining room table, most of the laundry is still in baskets from before our weekend away (we have six laundry baskets - all filled and in various spots in the house), and the clothing for Good Will and all the pictures and scrapbook stuff I was organizing before our trip just looks like a pile of junk right now.

I realize that it is remarkable that I get anything done. For example, my three year old is doing this really cute thing right now where he pushes his baby sister's doll around in a stroller acting like a "mommy" and brings us stuff. My poor baby girl was on the couch, though, drinking her bottle, and I noticed that her big brother had piled a bunch of blankets and toys around her. I was trying to eat a bowl of cereal (a task in itself because my three year old requires a response to his constant questions / comments - every 5 seconds or so, so... often, I actually start to eat but have to turn, spit my food out in the sink and respond to his rants - don't want to choke and, certainly, don't want the rants to continue - especially with a baby in the next room who needs to nap and is desperately trying to do so), and I realized that, in the time it took me to eat only half of the cereal, he had piled plastic beads, blocks, stuffed animals and cookies on the counter next to me, and I was unknowingly also holding a soccer ball, a toy Mardi Gras-like necklace, a broken paper party hat (???) and a plastic dinosaur that he had handed me, so I put it all on the kitchen counter too (better than the floor, right?).

Anyway .... sometimes I think that only I think I'm awesome. Maybe I'll re-evaluate next week.....

Selfish

I think that, during these very hard times, people should make more of an effort to treat others well. Redirecting anger - making others suffer for what someone else has done to you - begrudging someone what he or she has because you don't have - letting anger, resentment and jealousy build to an unhealthy level - all useless. All represent behavior that will, most definitely, be regrettable at a later date and probably snowball into something much worse. Life is short. We should be the best we can be everyday and forgive ourselves and others when necessary. I'm trying (I said trying) to learn from my past mistakes and wish / hope others will do the same.

There - I am now, officially, off my soapbox. For now.... anyway.