My Experiment With Perfection - Days 2 and 3

Were it not for hamburger and Henry, I might actually have a chance to be successful in becoming the woman/mom/wife/person I want to be.

BUT...

there is a destructive, unpredictable, uncooperative, independent little Henry that charms me despite his writing on the wall with Sharpie markers, (I honestly used to think when other peoples' kids wrote on walls, "why don't you put your markers and pens out of reach?" I have been humbled. The truly innovative artist seems to be able to use the force to open drawers, find tools in hidden crevices or even conjure them up with mental imagery. There is NO stopping them.) despite waking at unpredictable hours (throwing my best laid plans off schedule), and even despite the fact that he isn't content to sit on my lap when he needs to.

AND....

occasionally, I cook with ground beef. It was almost my undoing last night.

Yesterday, we were unable to roll with the momentum from Day One's schedule as there were doctor appointments for both Seth and Sam scheduled first thing in the morning. It's a habit for me to schedule the first available appointment in the morning, because I believe that way, I can avoid the dreaded doctors-get-behind-schedule waiting. The only trouble is, then I'M behind schedule all day and get caught playing catch-up.

At the appointment, Sammy failed his hearing test in one ear, Seth didn't shine on his sight test so needs further evaluation and Henry needs speech therapy. They all got shots (although Henry's appointment was last week, I'm just summarizing it here) and they all, otherwise, appear perfectly healthy.

We followed that star performance with grocery shopping and then off to Wheeler Farm with the cousins! What an adorable little farm in the middle of the city. I love things like this and can sit on the grass and watch my kids play with sticks for hours. But, we also walked around and saw the animals and went on a tractor ride.

On the tractor ride.

Henry loved crawling in and patting on the plastic covering they had on the old latrines. Whee!

Kelly brought bread to feed the ducks (our bread is a little to pricey at $5/loaf to squander away on fowl.)

Henry made me nervous by throwing rocks and sticks while standing very close to the water (he wouldn't have drowned but he would have become annoyingly wet and cold) but this is him laughing in the face of danger.

This was the golden activity until Seth spotted a water snake in the grass. Nobody could really relax after that.

When we got home, I put dinner in the crockpot (*spoiler alert...it involved ground beef*) while Jay, who was home early because it was an academic day, took all three boys to the park to play football. What did I do with my indulgent and unexpected free time? Only exactly what a perfect person would do. I went about finishing my essentials: cleaning bathrooms, folding laundry and NOT getting on the computer (because I hadn't exercised yet and I was trying to be true and faithful in all things. It was only day two, after all.)

Then my little ones came home and in spite of my plans for perfection, all moods went skeewampishly south. My kids had enough gall to complain about being hungry and didn't want to wait to eat until dinner (rude!), Jay had a headache from being with the kids for all of an hour and a half (although, to be fair...it was much more likely due to looking at a computer screen and textbooks of black and white images all day), and even after two hours of being in a crockpot on high, the ground beef I put in for our delicious dinner of homemade baked beans/cowboy goulash (yes...this is YOUR recipe, Kelly!) was not cooked.

Still, no need to panic, because when you're striving for perfection, undercooked beef should not be that big of a deal. Out of the crockpot and into the oven my bean/meat mixture went for a half hour at 400! Take that Mad Cow disease! I set the table, poured out the applesauce and put the delicious gluten free bread out on a bread plate, washed all the extra dishes and messes I created from an earlier failed attempt to make gluten free biscuits from a package (seriously....consistency of toothpaste) and checked again. Pink.

Everyone was seated at the table when I yelled, "This is why I don't like to freakin' cook!!" and slammed the oven door shut simultaneously. Jay, in an heroic effort to prevent total meltdown, told the boys to put on their shoes and get in the car because we were going to Wendy's, but I forced everyone back in their seats because I had spent almost two hours in that kitchen making a cowboy dinner and THEY WERE GOING TO HAPPILY EAT IT! We sat there, silently looking at each other for about five minutes until Jay got up to check the meat. He judged it safe and we spent the next fifteen minutes slowly eating our food, checking every spoonful for anything that could be described as any shade of rouge.

Jay did the dishes while I gave the boys a bath, and then I left to go on a walk. I had planned on walking four miles, but stopped after two and that is just going to have to be o.k. for now. It was dark, and windy and I wanted to get on the computer to check some blogs and perhaps write about my efforts of day two.

When I came home, Jay was on the computer and I realized that he had every right to be (he hardly ever is and wasn't aware of my abstinent day...again...not that that should even matter. I mean, I CAN go for a day without being on the computer. Really....I can!) but that didn't mean I couldn't be and wasn't disappointed about missing out on what I had promised myself as a reward for sticking to my plan. Instead, I took a long, hot bath and read a good chunk of The History of Love. I'm loving it.

Today was almost a replica of yesterday, minus the ground beef. We had a very long doctor's appointment up at Primary Children's Hospital for Sammy's eye. They had to dilate his eyes, and those kinds of appointments run almost three hours. With only swedish fish and the ABC song to distract Henry from destroying the million dollar equipment in each room, those three hours were brutal.

The one great thing about the last two days (besides, the fact that they were both...obviously....perfect), was that with all of the driving around for errands, I have listened to the Book of Mormon on CD and am already in 2 NE 18! So, while my essential workout was cut in half, my essential spirituality has been about quadrupled. There HAS to be some extra blessings for that.

Tonight, we are celebrating my sister, Sarah's, birthday by having one of her favorite dinners (ham and cheesy potatoes). The boys have been working on a surprise for her (that I can't post about because she might check this before she leaves work for the day) and really...it's been a good day. Except for the fact that I really, really put off exercise. It is ranked absolutely lowest in the essentials but changing my priorities and mindset is the goal. Maybe, just maybe, instead of scheduling the first appointment of the day, I can schedule those and other things a little later in the morning so that I don't have to rearrange when I work out OR get up at 5 in the morning to actually accomplish it (which really never, ever happens).

Fascinating reading, I know...but to me, this experiment really has been fascinating so far.

I don't know how else to work this in, other than being perfectly delightful, so here is some good mail I've received in the last couple of weeks.

Claudia sent me a birthday card. I love calligraphy and her cards are so artsy and chic. Thanks for the thought. I appreciate it any day of the year:)

Bridget sent me an article in Newsweek about Celiac Disease. SO thoughtful...I loved that she was looking out for us thousands of miles away.

Allison sent this extraordinary dish soap for sending her an idea for a game. It smells heavenly! Seriously, I actually want to do the dishes with this stuff. It's a bubble bath for my hands.

To be continued: My Experiment With Perfection....

Happy Birthday SARAH!!!