So many things in my life are half-done. I'm not normally half-assed about anything, but the demands of a 9-month-old and almost-3-year-old, coupled with the requests of my 5 and 7-year olds, who still need a lot of help in the kitchen and bathroom, result in me being halfway through all kinds of things. There is the half-folded laundry, for instance. If I ever am able to make it through the whole basket, something doesn't quite feel right. The laundry is always half-folded and sometimes I leave a half-ironed shirt on the ironing board for a few days because I was interrupted. The kitchen is constantly half-way full of dishes from one meal and the next meal is halfway prepared.
Several times in the last few weeks I have done half of a 30-day shred workout...and felt good about getting that much in! It's only 20 minutes to begin with...sheesh. Today, I did half, then Bridget lost it, hanging on my leg, which did not work well for jumping jacks, so I paused it, nursed her to sleep, made lunch for the other girls and then finished it - yes, I really came back to it! Usually I would pat myself on the back for doing 10 minutes, but today I finished it all the way to the cool down. I'm well on my way to being shredded.
Then there are books. I am halfway through about 8 different books right now. So are lots of people, probably, but to me it illustrates yet again the "putting on hold" we do for our kids. My wedding album is half-done. And it probably will not get done for years yet. I stopped putting it on my monthly TO DO list about a year ago. It was giving me too much guilt. I will get a thank you note written, but it remains half-done for a week because I don't get to the "find the address and stamp" steps.
On the positive side of halves...I am thrilled when half of the kids are napping, and when I get half an hour's nap myself. Each day I give Bridget half a graham cracker while I have my half hour prayer time in bed, and then I vacuum all the crumbs from the carpet and it gives me the satisfaction that I have cleaned our room. If I remember half the things I need when I am at the grocery store, we're doing pretty well...then I make up the difference by grabbing twice as many "impulse buys."
I'm thrilled we have all the girls we have, and not half of them. Just when I think Bridget can't get any cuter, she grins at me with those two little teeth showing and those enormous cheeks and bright blue eyes. Half done is OK, little one. Your mother needs to have her perfectionism perfected out of her.
