when you just don't shower

i texted my mom earlier today and told her this:
 i have not showered in 4 days; finley is wearing the same shirt today that he wore all day yesterday and slept in last night; i have not cooked dinner all week. but we are healthy. so that's something :). 

i did cook chicken pot pie for small group on wednesday night, but the most i cooked for my family was making frozen pizza and fruit salad. 

finley just really didn't want to change his shirt. i didn't feel the need/energy to fight him on it.

the showering thing... there's no excuse. i am clean now, though.

you know, life is full. there is so much happening around us all the time. i am usually pretty on top of things around the house. i cook. i clean. and i genuinely enjoy it. my life as a wife and mom doesn't stop. there are just some weeks that we don't quite eat all that healthy. or the laundry doesn't get done. or i just have a bad attitude. or i don't feel like keeping up with everything. in these weeks, i try and take the time i am not cleaning to sit on the floor with those babies. this morning i layed on the floor for 20 minutes with my knees up being a human slide for finley and audrey. why in the heck that brings enormous amounts of joy to them, i have no clue. but they loved it.
we had to go to walmart today. i have found the magical parking area where there's always spots and it's right next to a cart rack thing so i can grab a cart right there and load the kids in. to my dismay, when we parked today, there it was. the dreaded "choo choo" cart as we call it. you know, the one that is the size of a missle and has the special seats for kids to ride in. the one that makes people pushing it feel like they're moving against gravity or natural forces or something (not sure of the scientific accuracy of that description). anyway, the big carts. sometimes, they're great. a lot of times it turns into way more work because finley takes his shoes off and i often don't notice till we're checking out and they've fallen somewhere. or he wants to throw all the groceries from the choo choo part into the big part. that's fun. or audrey gets squeamish and wants out and i fear she will fall out, etc. ANYWAY, we pulled in. there it was. no way to avoid it. finley said, "i wanna ride the choo choo cart!" it'd be best for everyone to just give in. so i did. and you know what, they were content the whole time. definitely doesn't always happen. but today, that choo choo cart was grace to me. it helped me get done quickly and to avoid placing all my groceries around audrey who sits in the big part, usually, and screams if anything cold is touching her. 

i guess what i'm saying is, life isn't and doesn't have to be perfect. nor pretty. nor clean. mine sure wasn't this week. but there is incredible joy. and incredible grace. and sometimes, that annoying choo choo cart is really a gift. 

love to you.

mer