Acetone, Tiger Stripes and Ladybugs...

It has been a few days since I posted anything but life has a way of tilting to the chaotic side. If fact, my life is usually on the crazy side. Yesterday was no different, as far as the chaotic part goes, but it was way different at the same time. 

Now, I work in EMS and work a matrix schedule. That means I work a week on then I am off for a week.  During the week I work I do have Sundays off and since I am off I have my girls for that day. My ex has them the other days I work and I have them the week I am off. Not a bad deal really. Anyhow, yesterday was my Sunday off and I had the girls. 

Now, I must admit that during the week I am at work (I work 12-14 hour shifts) certain household duties do get pushed to the side. The kitchen doesn't get swept and mopped every day, sometimes I forget to vacuum, and there are nights I am too tired to load the dishwasher. So I am admitting that I can get a little slack on the chores during my work week.  So I have one day to get caught up during that week and that is Sunday. So I am usually running around trying to get chores done and still interact with my kids. And yes, sometimes interacting is having one dust and one sweep.  (I am a horrible mom, I know.)

So this particular day held the same "have-to-do's" as always. I had decided it would be fun for the girls to have a spa day and get manicures and pedicures.  But time is limited and the chores must get done. I cleaned the kitchen and vacuumed before breakfast and got the laundry started... even managed to get the sheets done too.  Started dinner working and sat down to play spa with the girls.

We busted out with the spa massager foot thingy. I have had it since forever but apparently have never let the girls use it. We got the nail file, clippers, nail polish remover, cotton pads, towel, Epsom salt and essential oils, and a basket full of polish. A little warm water and we were set.

The foot spa was a hit.  They both loved it. My youngest was laid back, feet in the bubbling water with her toes wiggling, and she says "I could get used to living the life."  I just had to laugh. I wasn't sure if I should be glad I have raised two non-materialist girls who believe a day at home in jammies playing spa day with mommy is "the life" or if I should be saddened that they have not been exposed to things like mani's and pedi's at a "real" nail place. 

The girls picked their own polish, Angel did ladybugs on her fingers and red and black tiger stripes on her toes. Princess chose hot pink with black tiger stripes for fingers and toes. They loved the final results and I have to say I was pretty impressed with myself.

While all this was going on I had totally forgotten about dinner.  Lucky for me Love was on the ball. He silently slipped in the kitchen and got dinner tended to without ever saying a word. He is an awesome man. Girly time with just me and my girls is hard to come by with life being a mess.  He was so sweet to allow us girls our time.

I now, after a good girly time, must say I did feel a little bad I didn't make dinner and the laundry wasn't quite finished. I did feel a little bad... for just a minute or two. Then it occurred to me- everything else could wait and life would go on.  But my two sweet girls would never be at that exact moment ever again.  They have both grown so much in such visible ways over the past month. And really, are they gonna care if the floor got mopped or if every last single dish got washed?  Nope.  They aren't gonna care or remember stuff like that. What they will remember is a fun spa time with mommy painting nails. And that is way better than a spotless house. 

So my one day off, while not a success in housecleaning, was definitely a success with my girls. I can have a clean house in a few years but right now what I have is acetone nail polish remover smelling up the house, tiger striped toe nails and some cute ladybug fingernails!!!

Score for mom!

Looking Backwards

It is said that one should look forward and not backwards... looking behind you can cause you to miss the things in front of you and possibly cause you to stumble and fall. While I do agree that for those of us who are talented enough to trip on nothing, looking forward is definitely a good idea, I also think there is some validity and insight to be found from looking back.

Let me explain-

I spend my work day in the back of an ambulance. Very rarely do I drive, so my time at work (which is 12+ hour shifts for a week straight) is spent watching the world go by in reverse. Most of my patients are regulars and I see them three times a week at least. I know about their grandkids and when their next doctor appointment is scheduled. I know who has high blood pressure and what their heart rate normally is. I know that my old man's son is coming to visit this weekend and my little old lady's daughter moved in down the road last week. However, ask me for directions to their houses and I am at a loss...

I have know idea how to get to where most of the patients live!!!  Unless of.course, the ambulance is going backwards and then I can get you where ever you need to go. This thought just tickled me. Here I am, a trained medical professional who can't get to her patients residence going forward.  Hmmmmm...

So I got to thinking about all this and how it relates to life in general. Well, obviously looking in a forward direction allows you to see where you are going. Everyone needs to know where they are headed. Looking forward means you can see most of the bumps in the road and the curves you have to navigate up ahead. And that is all necessary and beneficial.  If you can see what's coming you can make plans.

Plans are good things to have. I truly believe that statement. Yet, having spent a majority of my time watching the world fly by backwards, I must ponder and comment of the good things about a life looked at in reverse.

First, one should always remember where they come from.  Roots are important things- they keep you grounded and connected. One would be nothing without an original source to come from and return to again. Roots (or whatever you call where you came from) are the base on which you build your life. Whether things were good or bad, the events and people of your forging had a part to play in who and where you are today. In remembering and looking at where you came from you are able to see how far you have come.

Second, you may not always know where you are going but should always know where you have been. Knowing where one has been allows you to evaluate the path you are currently on and decided if the way you came was worth it or if that way is better left as a one time trip. There are plenty of ways to get there from here. Some of the ways you have taken may have been rough and bumpy which teaches you not to go down that road again. Every now and then you find a road that is smooth sailing. Make note of such paths and revisit if you can but also know that true growth and change rarely come from the good times. It.is during the hard and painful times that one finds the catalyst to blossom.

Finally, sometimes it is just plain nice to see the world from a different view. What is in the past should stay in the past because it is truly a moment gone by but you should never.forget what the past has taught you. To learn from ones mistakes is to ensure they are not repeated. However, if you never take the time to stop and look backwards over your life you may never see the blessings that you once viewed as curses.

So, in honor of my days spent seeing the world go by in a reverse blur, I am going to be grateful today for my past. It surely hasn't always been sunshine and roses but it has been an adventure.

Don't dwell in the past and what is behind you but make sure not to forget it or look backwards and remember now and again.

Have a great Wednesday!

Wishing everyone well from the back of the ambulance!