One of those days.

You ever have one of those days?
You know what I mean.
You don't get dressed into real clothes until 4:30 pm (and that's only cuz you don't want your husband to think you've been in your pajamas all day when he gets home from work), your kids eat hot dogs and popcorn for lunch, you spill nail polish on your favorite rug and scrub, not blot, to get it out, you step in the pee all over the bathroom floor and forget to clean it up until the entire house smells like pee, you trip on the bra you left on the bedroom floor and smack your head on the dresser, the kids scream every single second that you're on that important phone call you've been waiting weeks for, and your baby stays in that poopy diaper far too long because it doesn't really smell so you forget about it.

Not saying that ever happens to me.

But lately, I've been having days completely opposite of that. Pretty peaceful. It's kind of strange really. I'm sort of expecting something to blow up or fall from the sky.  Sure, my kids are a handful and sometimes I feel like jumping out of the window, but most days, I love every second of it.  Even on days like the above, it's not all that bad. Because they are worth it.

Motherhood...it's a strange word really.  It entails so much more than 'they' tell you.  Before I had kids, I pictured life with a baby as pretty hunky dory. You snuggle this little bundle til they fall asleep, then you go about your business. They wake up bright eyed, eat and poop, and then just fall asleep again and life goes on as such until they're eighteen.  No problem.

What?! You mean that ISN'T the way it is? 

Not my kid, but funny, no?

No, I reckon it's so much more.  All the stuff up there in the first paragraph is not what's important.
It's how I respond to those things that is important.  I find myself getting so irritated that I make this throaty, mad noise, just so I don't scream, throw stuff, or put my kids on E-bay.
Soon after, I realize that now, my 4 year old is also making this noise.
I do not like that.  Do I really want him responding that way when he's upset? Nope.
They really do hear everything, and repeat it.
I'm teaching my kids how to react when things don't go their way.
Ugly throaty noise?
No thanks.

Every response matters, even and especially on one of those days.   Take a deep breath, sit down, snuggle them, and forget about the mess.  Apologize and repent for responding in anger, pray for grace, and ask God to put some peace in your home where the enemy has sought to take it. 

Because after all, in the grand scheme of things, really, what's a little pee on the floor?