Lists, lists, and...cookies???

Why is it we always have the most amount of stuff to do on the days when we have the least amount of time?

I keep wondering this today as I get ready to add yet another item to my 'to do' list; meanwhile, I'm still knee deep in items I've yet to cross off.

I'll admit, a lot of it is of my own doing. I always joke around that cleaning up after my kiddos is a lot like trying to nail Jell-o to a tree- pointless and impossible- but every day, I find myself stressing out over the laundry, the dishes, the crumbs that seem to multiply before my eyes on the counter...

And I'm not positive, but I BELIEVE that the toys have all called in reinforcements.

It just seems like its a never-ending job.

Oh.

Yeah.

It is.

When I add in all the other things- the eye/doctor appointments to schedule, the play dates that keep me and Jacob sane, the cooking (no matter how much I love cooking, its still one more thing)- looking at my list is a lot like standing at the bottom of the Empire State building and trying to see the top.

And yet...

And yet I keep adding to it. Today I chose to make cookies in addition to my list of “musts”. Why? Well, I thought that if I was going to die from stress, cookies might be a nice accompaniment. Because, if Mary Poppins has taught me nothing its that a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down- as well as the stress.

Not to mention, they taste good.

Warm, tasty, chewy stress relievers.

Thank you, Mary, for your flash of brilliance. Sugar- especially in cookie form- really DOES help you deal with the less sweet parts of life.

Sing... sing a song...

Today I was running around town like a mad woman, attempting to get everything done on my insanely long list: registration for the two older boys, doctor's appts. for their physicals, a "quick" trip to the grocery store (which, if you've got 3 kids- boys- and you ever try to describe something as "quick", you're fooling yourself), and a few other things that seemed to last forever.  Somewhere between the dairy aisle and the baked goods, though, I started to hum a little hum.  It wasn't until I got to the canned vegetable aisle that I realized what it was and I wanted to scream.

"Neeeeew friends put a smile on my face- I'm so very happy that you're visiting MY place..."

It happened.  I was humming the words to a Yo Gabba Gabba song with the same passion that I used to save for, well, songs that ARE NOT from a kids show.

I remember the days before I had kids and I used to make fun of shows like Barney and Sesame Street.  Songs describing the demise of the purple dinosaur creature were sung all around the school, and I sang as loudly as the rest.  Its funny to watch Cameron sing the same songs now, thinking that he's discovered something new.

Yeah, son.  No.  I was a Barney hater LONG before you were born.  Now, though, I've learned a couple of things:

~Barney might be annoying, but he's making a WHOLE lot more money than I am- and no one knows who he is in real life.  THAT is pure genius.

~Barney is only an annoying purple dinosaur creature until that moment your 2 year old lets go of your leg to sing "I love you, you love me".  Then?  Barney is amazing- a God-like creature that monuments should be built for.

And its not just Barney.  I remember the first time I sat down and watched an entire 'Yo Gabba Gabba' episode.  It was about sharing, and while Jacob was rockin' out, I couldn't help muttering,"Oh good golly- they're brain washing children.  Sure, they're full of good moral ideas, but lets call a spade a spade, shall we?  When you repeat 'Sharing is good.  Sharing is fun' 50 times in one song, its a rhythmic scrub brush for the brain."

And, me being me, I couldn't help wondering if I could write a song encompassing all I want my kids to hold near and dear to their hearts:

"Your bladder's full- oh can't you see?  Get out of bed and now go pee!  You know that you are beat, beat, beat, but mom doesn't want to wash your sheets- Go pee!"

"Please don't argue with your mom- don't argue with your dad.  They both know what's best for you and arguing is bad."

"Eating candy night and day leads to lots of tooth decay.  Before you munch on all those sweets, just know the tooth fairy will yank out your teeth."

Ok, so the last one needs work.  You've got to admit its got potential, though.

The question is, though, would I someday be walking down the snack aisle and hear someone humming one of MY songs?  One can only hope.

Until then, I'll leave the brain washing of the masses to the professionals.  I mean, after all, if they've got me singing about how "its not fun to get lost" while hunting down animal crackers, I'm pretty sure they know what they're doing.