I have been running from one appointment to another, racing through my "to-do" list, only to feel frustrated and defeated. Yuck. Overbooking myself physically and mentally is not getting me anywhere.
It took two middle schoolers to bump me back into reality again. It started as one weekend Science project involving atoms and molecules. Well, actually, there were two projects since they didn't finish the lab about making ice cream. And the first one looked so simple. They were "done" within 30 minutes. Against their pleas to do otherwise, I looked at the rubric (list of required features) and proceeded to tell them that they had only scratched the surface.
It's twelve hours later and they are almost done. Well, kind of. And no, before you are alarmed, they did not work twelve consecutive hours. On the contrary, they have given me an example of how I should plan my days: brief periods of work, alternated by play.
Of course, we needed supplies. So our time on this project has included a trip to the grocery store, supper at a local Chinese restaurant (because "Mom, we can't think if we're hungry!"), countless episodes of rolling eyes, debates (what constitutes good enough versus completing the assignments), spills, races with our dachshund (affectionately named Dipstick), research on the computer, lots of laughs, candy, writing, rock salt, duct tape, more spills, sleeping in, playing on the piano, more writing, many heavy sighs, and a few more pieces of duct tape just to be sure.
So, I learned something this weekend, too. I need to mix in a little more playtime. Maybe I would find myself smiling more and rejoicing in the Lord. After all, that is what it's all about.
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