Resolutions: More than I Expected

What does the following list of items have in common?

-Cheerios
-Spoon
-Piece of donut
-Missing page from Cinderella
-4 loose socks (none matching)
-Half of a pretzel stick
-Empty tissue box
-11 cents

I found all of these things (and I'm embarrassed to say a few more) in the car!

Keeping an immaculate vehicle was ingrained in me by my Dad. Although I have never quite been able to keep up with his showroom standards, I've been really close most of the time...until we had kids! Now, in the rush of way too many road trips and hustling from here to there, I've gradually reached a point of embarrassment with the vehicle. I admit I half gave up on keeping it as clean. What's the point if it will just get dirty again? And that's not even factoring in the amount of effort it takes to keep the kids occupied while I clean it!

For the last 4 months, I have resolved to not make any more excuses. I told myself there's only so long I can keep telling people, "PLEASE IGNORE HOW NASTY MY CAR IS!!! I really try to keep the car clean!" without actually doing as much as I could about it. Mentally, I would have to admit that it really didn't matter to me as much as I said it did, OR I would have to change my priorities to match my goals. Part of the big picture...trying to be less of a hypocrite in ALL my ways. :)

Considering that it really does bother me that much, I have done very well with changing my actions! Four months ago, I started with a clean slate. We paid (probably way too much) to have the car completely detailed. And, every passing month the "cleaning out the car time" has gotten closer and closer together! I am building better habits of cleaning messes right when they happen instead of putting it off for the next free moment (which tends to fill quickly with something else).

I'm sharing this because I know some moms that might need the encouragement...you CAN do it! Even the littlest efforts add up. But if you're at a point that I have been (and really was not ready to prioritize yet), I'm not judging you! There are definitely more important things in life!

Anyway, first beautiful day in some time, and I decided to pull out the car seats and wash them, clean/condition the leather, and in general do the "big clean" on the car again! This might be the last time I go to this level of cleaning before the baby arrives...especially considering I just won't be able to maneuver in the car as much anymore AND I plan on keeping it EXTREMELY CLEAN until then! :)

As I'm cleaning, Zoe is napping, and Ian is amusing himself in the yard. This involves running around in circles, narrating every movement, and having dialogues with imaginary friends and toys. Have I mentioned that Ian self-entertains better than almost any child I know?!

So, I get in the "groove" and am peripherally aware of where Ian is and what he's doing. Turns out, I don't give him enough credit for the skills he is developing.



Yes, that's the hose faucet. I stand up to stretch and realize he is standing in the middle of the yard, soaking wet...



After running inside to get my camera (aren't I hopeless?), I walked over and asked, "Ian what are you doing?" He smiles up at me and informs me, "I'm washing the dirty off the grass, Mom, for you!"



Now it's a beautiful day in comparison of the current weather, but it's still barely hitting 60 degrees. The water is freezing. And, he's drenched! "Ian, would you like to change your clothes? You're all wet!" He shook his head, "No, Mom, I'm ok, I'm just going to finish cleaning first. And, I'm going to water the plants."

Ok, why not? He's happy!

I called my friend Anna, and fill her in on Ian's antics while cleaning some more. Next thing I know, Ian is asking me to drag the pool into the front yard so he can fill it up. Why not? Anna warns me he's going to end up in the pool. "Nah, I think he just wants to watch the water running out of the house, because he's been filling the watering can and stuff."

The blue plastic pool stands out brightly against the browning grass of winter, and Ian happily stares mesmerized at the running water. I smile and continue cleaning and talking with Anna.

Ian finds a rubber duck and tosses it into the pool. I laugh and share with my friend on the phone who again warns, "I know he's going to end up in the pool!" I laugh again and insist it's much too cold and now he just wants to throw something in there.

After a few more words, I hang up the phone and turn back to Ian.

"Ian, why are you in the pool?! Isn't it cold?!" I'm finding it hard to keep a straight face!

"Mom, my duck was in the pool, I had to go get it. I'm not cold!" he tells me with absolute glee.

And the best part of it all, the middle school bus drops off the kids right at our corner, and half a dozen kids are laughing and pointing happily, "Look at that cute little kid in the pool!"

Ian smiles and waves back, "Hey guys! Want to go swimming with me?"

These are the details I don't want to miss...and who knew that resolving to have a cleaner car would provide the perfect opportunity for such a fun memory? I love the blessing that comes with applying myself to something I thought would be purely more effort on my part and getting more than I ever expected! And P.S., yes Anna, you were right! :)

The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it. -Proverbs 10:22 (NIV)