Well, we made it through the first month in Arizona with relatively little drama. Yay! A few things that happened: Jaakson's teacher gave me a couple phone calls last month about him being "mouthy" with her and straight-up refusing to do his classwork which was followed by a parent-teacher meeting last week. Shae called home a time or two saying her "tummy hurt" but once we got home she was miraculously healed. Elena's sleeping schedule took a heinous twist including fevers and many 2 a.m. pagings ("Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy..." on repeat, until I went into her room). I was a little homesick and anxious and coped by sitting on the couch most of the day some days and as a result have a little more junk in my trunk these days. Trying to find my way around a MUCH larger, more expensive city for places to shop, refuel, etc. that would work with our modest budget was an adventure. Klint worked very long hours in the beginning and most weekends and Sundays. And it was REALLY fun when I locked our only set of keys in our trunk at the ward's crazy-busy-crowded Halloween trunk-or-treat. Three hours, a tow-truck driver, and locksmith later we got a $220 duplicate key for our car. Nevermind that since the day we moved here I kept getting the nagging feeling, "don't forget to make a copy of the car key before something bad happens." Oh, the regret.
I was at the center of all these things, trying to navigate and fix it all without turning into a maniac.
I failed miserably. I have anxiety issues, as it is. Poor me, I know. But this is the life of a mom. I accept and own that, don't worry. "Poor Klint and kids" is more accurate. But hey, some days are better than others and I'm a work in progress.
After all of these things happened and a few temper tantrums (not just from the kids), something happened inside for me. I learned something I had heard and understood in theory but had not truly applied until recently.
What I've learned this past month: sometimes you just have to laugh it off. It doesn't mean you aren't taking responsibility, it just means it's not the end of the world and that things aren't always going to go according to plan. Laugh when the kids get in trouble get in trouble for licking their classmate (well, laugh on the inside), then help them figure it out and move on. Laugh when you do something stupid, like locking your keys in the trunk. Laugh when your toddler wants you to sing "Popcorn Popping" at 3 a.m. and you're cross-eyed with fatigue. Laugh when you realize you've eaten more than half of a Costco pumpkin pie all by yourself.....and then laugh again when you step on the scale the next day. Laugh it up! I've realized that for too long I have worried about "people" thinking I don't take my responsibilities as a parent/wife/employee seriously that I have started to take myself too seriously and have obstructed myself from enjoying my life and those in it to the fullest. I reflect on Sister Marjorie Pay Hinckley's wise words, “The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache.” What a wonderful perspective on life and I know I will live by those words from this day forth.
