Lately, I've been cranky. I'm not trying to be, I promise. But the hip pain that started a few weeks ago appears to be here to stay, and will only get worse as time goes on. I have to sit and work for a large part of each weekday, so that can't be helped. I have added a pillow for my lower back and extra cushioning to sit on. But, the pain makes me cranky. Also adding to my crankiness is the general crankiness (and sometimes rudeness) of my children. Perhaps they're just feeding off my mood...
Anyway, this brings me to the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics. What, you say? Yes, this is the only time I will ever post about something scientific. This law (if I'm correctly translating it from science-speak--and please don't comment if I got it wrong) is all about entropy. Dictionary.com says that entropy is the inevitable and steady deterioration of a system or society.
What does that mean? Basically, sooner or later, everything descends into disorder and chaos. As a wife, mother, and housewife, this disturbs me. No matter how hard I work, the house will always become dirty again... all by itself.
My mother-in-law has said that she often felt her children were agents of entropy. Perfect way to describe kids--breeders of chaos in the universe. I can leave a perfectly clean room and walk by again two minutes later and find toys strewn about. How do they do it? How do they mess things up so quickly? Yesterday, the kids had a few friends over. The kids all love to play together and they have a ton of fun. They create a tornado in the process, however. Usually, it doesn't bug me and we just clean everything up at the end, but yesterday, it bugged. (See above paragraph about general crankiness.)
The boys started with the Star Wars toys and quickly moved on to matchbox cars. Pulled out H's huge mat and started running cars all over it. That lasted 2 minutes. Then they pulled off all the pillows off the couch and threw them on the floor (on top of all the cars) to make some sort of obstacle course. Another 5 minutes. Then, H wanted to color at the kitchen table. They left the chaos in the living room and pulled out all the coloring stuff upstairs. Maybe 3 minutes spent on that. When H asked to go outside and play, I took one look at the tornado in my living room and asked him to clean up one thing before he moved on to next thing. Cue whining and waterworks.
Sometimes I get so tired of feeling like I'm fighting to keep some semblance of order around here. The kids have their chores and for the most part, they do them ok. But I hate being the only one who really cares about the order/disorder in our home. (I know my husband cares, but not the borderline obsessive way I do.) Kids are kids and I want them to have fun and play and be kids, but could they not be breeders of chaos all the time? Could they maybe take a break every once in a while from their agents of entropy jobs? Could I purchase an automatic sweeper to go along after them and pick up what they destroy?
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
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8 comments:
Just a comment on the hip pain (I actually get it too, really bad sometimes, and I'm not even pregnant!). Anyhow, there is a great stretch that really works for me. Act as though you are going into the splits (start on left side and later do the right, or vice versa). Now, don't freak out - you don't have to do the splits! :) Bend your front leg at the knee, with the foot in towards your pelvis. Your back leg should be straight out behind you. Then, lean your upper body forward over your bent leg. To increase the stretch, you can tighten the bend of your leg, or reach farther over with your upper body. Switch sides. Does this make sense? I get a really strong stretch this way and it helps to relieve some of the ache. I think you can do it while your pregnant - at least before your belly gets super big.
So sorry about the aches and pains. I know how difficult it is to be kind happy mommy when you hurt!
As for raising little chaos breeders, I have long found that the entropic nature of motherhood is what drives me most quickly batty. I have always suspected it was the rugrats' fault, good to know I'm not the only one! I have found that the older they get, the more able I am to get them to take small breaks from their hard work as agents of entropy, but I have to be willing to take the efforts they're willing to make (toys off floor, not all in their places; progress, I chant, it's still progress) The more able I am to show them cause and effect (if you pick up your mess, then you get X) successfully, the better things go and that, frustratingly enough is a cognitive skill they have to grow into. They'll get there, I promise. As for husbands, I don't know what their excuse is. I'm still amazed at all the things Chad doesn't even SEE. For me, coping with entropy is all about letting go of what I can't, at the moment fix. Chocolate helps too!
My cure for a messy house: "If you want to watch Little Einsteins (or _______) you have to clean your room and the basement." They either get distracted and just play (and I can get things done), or they clean the WHOLE room in no time flat (have I mentioned I'm a tv nazi? So it's a big treat).
Your blog is the best birth control ever! I just have to read it and remember why I never want to have more kids! (I'm referring more to the pregnancy than the kids) I realzied today that if I had known what I knew now before I had kids, I would have cherished ever moment I had a clean house before they were born and never take it for granted. Good luck. You are so amazing to handle everything as gracefully as you do.
I've just spent my entire morning cleaning up after my bunch of destroyers! Truth is, my older kids are really getting better. Allowance works for us and Braden keeps his room spotless. Kimmy tries, but she shares a room with Marissa, and right now, Marissa doesn't think she has to contribute to any type of clean up. She does really well if she's working beside me, but if I just ask her to do something alone, it doesn't happen. I think I'm going to try a new allowance idea with her. I hope it works! Of course, I have Tanner too, who pulls out everything he lays his eyes on. It is a constant battle, isn't it? And When I'm pregnant...everything goes out the window! I know how you feel. Hang in there, and please send your kids over any time you need a break from the mess!
Very funny. You are such a good writer. And, congrats on the TWINS! (Crazzzzzy!)
We just (finally) joined the blogging rage at the end of March. Our link is www.theoliveleaf.blogspot.com.
We should get Will and H to play together sometime. One of these times you come over to your in-laws, call and we'll meet outside to play!
oh and happy b-day to H too! I forgot about how close they were too.
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