The Lilac Solution

It is snowing outside. It is hard to remember when my world didn't look like this. White. Blah. Cold.

I don't even bother going outside most days. Going outside takes energy and energy is one thing that I am lacking in lately. This little guy is a good energy zapper and apparently so is his sibling- who, by the way, I have taken calling "Butterball".

So Butterball is doing it's best to drain my dwindling energy supply, while J is doing his best to discover EVERYTHING. These are the questions I believe he asks him self 1000 times a day. "What is that? What does it taste like? What happens if I rub it all over my face...the wall... the floor? What will happen if I put it on my head or down my shirt or in my pants? (I have been finding some pretty odd things in the front of his diapers, it like he thinks the front of his diaper is a giant pocket, but back to the questions) Where can I hide this so that I can find it and maybe eat it later when mom isn't looking? What will happen if I jump up and down on top of this? How far can I throw this?" Really the discovery questions are endless.

This discovery process is messy and discovery is a nonstop process that happens EVERYWHERE, which means that EVERYWHERE can get pretty messy, which means Mom needs energy to clean it up. But wait, it gets worse. As I mentioned before, it is snowing, it is cold it is the very middle of Winter and for some odd reason Winter is the hardest time for me to get the gumption up to attempt to clean.

So really, my world is like the perfect storm of Messiness. I'm Pregnant with a rambunctious toddler in the middle of Winter. I could give in to it all and put a sign on the door that says "Sorry, Out of Order, please try to visit again when the flowers are blooming" but I won't! Why Not? Because last year I discovered a way to trick myself into feeling spring-like enough to get the house work done on a regular basis, and yesterday as I was about to create my "Out of Order" sign, I remembered my trick!

If I fill my home with the smell of spring, and I don't look outside, my energy level will perk up just enough to get my chores done! The scent that seems to work the best is "Lilacs and Violets". I love Spring! It might be because it comes the day after my birthday or maybe it is because of all the flowers and the newness, the new leaves on the trees, the new baby animals, it is just a wonderful time of year! I Love It. I also love the fact that God seems to have hardwired my sense of smell into those feelings of Joy that Spring brings me. Yeah for Spring!

Oh, and just so you know, my home is not perfect, never has been, but I am proud to say that the dishes seem to be getting done every day, the counters are being wiped down regularly, the toys are put away at least once per day and the floors are being swept or vacuumed once or twice a week, which I think is pretty darn good for winter! It would be perfect if those friendly little forest creatures would come help me out once and a while....I guess I am just not singing the right song.