Learning

I almost always have some kind of format for a blog post in mind. Some kind of theme or main idea, or the like. But today that is not the case. Essentially today, I am just writing in a sort of online journal, and don't even really know where it will take me. Actually, right now it is taking me to the trampoline with a certain little Baby Girl*, who is quite insistent. Playing with Cutey* and Curly* isn't good enough for her, she needs her Hannah to come along. So I will need to pause for the moment in order to go play with her. Leaving the computer and blog behind right now is harder than it should be. I will be back later....

...It is now almost 40 minutes later, and Baby Girl voluntarily left the trampoline. The situation that just happened is quite frequent at my home. That moment when you have something you wish to work on or get done, and a family member wishes you to engage in their lives. I am faced with this so many times a day. I am sorry to admit that just now when Baby Girl wanted to go on the trampoline, instead of just shutting my computer to join her, I tried to get her to go play without me. It wasn't really till I saw she was going to be incorrigible that I joined her.

So it isn't that because I am always being interrupted, I never get anything done. Many of those times I simply choose not to engage with my family. And there is also early in the morning, nap-time, and after supper when I have plenty of time to accomplish my own things. So one of the things I have been really learning lately is how to set my tasks aside, or realize that they often can wait, and just go spend time with those around me.

So my adventures on the trampoline.... At first it was quite peaceful, as it was just me, Curly, and Baby Girl. After a little bit of ring-around-the-Rosie, I laid on my back as they ran in circles around me, sometimes gently tripping them which caused them to burst into giggles. When they jumped near me, causing my body to jerk, I pondered Isaac Newton's 3rd law of Motion. When one body exerts a force on a second body, the second body simultaneously exerts a force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to that of the first body. Thus Curly's body exerted a force on the trampoline, causing it to bend, and then the trampoline exerted a equal force on Curly, Baby Girl, and I, causing us to jump slightly in the opposite direction. Wow, I really am a nerd.

After a few peaceful moments, Cutey and Snuggles* joined us. Then it got kinda crazy. Cutey was grumpy, Snuggles was intent on inflicting harm on my body by jumping onto me, or snuggling way too close, smashing my body into the trampoline, and Baby Girl decided to scream any time Snuggles tried to touch her. This of course led to Snuggles touching her whenever she found the opportunity, and then copying Baby Girl's scream.

So my experiences in learning today, in regards to preparing for homemaking/motherhood, were learning to set tasks aside, and managing 4 squirming, fighting, and excited little girls. This ends a "journal" post that gives a pretty accurate description of a day at my home.

*Refer to my earlier post My Family, if you don't know who these names are referring to.