Morning Circus - one of Crystal's favourite "FROM CRYSTAL" web articles

Hi Subscriber,

Here's today's e-mail.

Morning Circus

I came home from the dentist the other day to a clean house. This might not have been so remarkable, except when I rushed out the door for the early morning appointment, there were crumbs on the counter and dishes on the table. Not so, when I returned.

Looking at the tidy space, I thought for a moment that some happy form of reverse Feng Shui had occurred; that when my teeth got cleaned, it mysteriously caused my kitchen to become neat as well. Hoping this was a pattern, I jumped into the shower to see if the beds would make themselves, but no luck. I ended up just messing up the bathroom and ruining what had, up to that point, been a rather good hair day.

It was my husband who cleaned the kitchen. There was no magic to it. He simply took a few minutes before he left the house to right the wrongs I had inflicted on the room during my harried, near violent breakfast.

It had been a wild morning because the entire family had early dental appointments. We had to drag tired children out of bed and into the car well before they were fully awake. We had to ensure they were fed and clothed despite the fact that I hadn't yet grocery shopped or put away the clean laundry. It was a frantic display of speed and multitasking with me trying to convince the boys that a robe is something you can wear to the dentist and that frozen haddock is a good breakfast.

It was a morning circus. I was working the kettle with my big toe while packing lunches, leaving my teeth free to sign school agendas. Through my clenched jaws, around the pen I was yelling, mostly to myself, "Did you floss? You need to floss!"

It was worth the performance though, because we made it to the dentist on time and with only two casualties, the state of the kitchen and the fact that I was wearing odd shoes--again.

It's lack of preparation that does this to a person, and by THIS, I mean makes them pack canned beets and a box of unmade Jello powder in their children's lunches. If I had only taken a few minutes the night before to arrange things, the way my husband did before he left the kitchen, my morning would have been much smoother.

I would have realized that the boy's favorite jeans were still wet in the washer and that the most nutritious food in the house was a container of tarragon. By taking care of some of these problems in advance, I might have been able to stave off some of that dental morning frenzy. But I didn't do anything productive the night before. I chose instead to watch the Trailer Park Boys and then play video games on the computer.

I could lament my lack of foresight. I could regret my poor time management skills, but I'm going to give myself a break. For had I done anything differently, I never would have heard my son proudly exclaim to his friend, "My mom can write with her face!"

Crystal
Copyright 2005, Crystal Eves

If you would like to receive these free twice-weekly e-mails, please Subscribe here.

You have my permission to forward this to a friend.

Thanks for reading!

Back to Crystal’s Picks >

Crystal’s Picks