Our Mini Bucket List

I've been on the hunt for inspiration this week because someone stole my real children and replaced them with naughty impostors to test my patience and my cool.

This is the text I sent to my mom at 11 this morning: "I thought behavior couldn't get any worse. But it so can."

Super Nanny, where are you???

Running with the advice of some wise mamas who've already been there and done that, I've steeled myself for the resistance that comes with setting some tighter boundaries.  I don't mind a little chaos. I respect my children for being such determined little creatures. I love when they stretch their wings and try new things. But I like butterfly wings, bird wings, gentle wings...take the vultures, pterodactyls, and bats somewhere else please.

So because we're in high combat mode at home lately, I need a little something to remind me of the goodness of raising Littles.

Taking some inspiration from Kelle Hampton again this week, we introduce our mini bucket list:

Kiddie Version:

Five Things we’re doing this week to remember life’s goodness.

1. Taking a spring walk to look for all the ways our little street is changing just now, in-just—spring.
2. Eating ice cream cones...whenever.
3.  Having a picnic on our favorite blanket or splashing in rain puddles, depending on the weather.
4.  Making a big ole mess with play dough. A’s been wanting to do this for a week and we keep "forgetting."
5. Making up a new game every day. Today’s was a group effort to teach K to call us with his names for us instead of calling us with shrieks.  We took turns sitting with him, calling a name and signing it, and whoever’s name was called had to jump from around the corner and say, “What?” or “Hi!” For some reason, the game tickled all three kids’ funny bones; the longer we played the sillier it got.

 Grown-up Version:

My own mini bucket list.

1. Have a mini getaway by myself to do three things I’ve been wanting to do for a while and haven’t yet, because they seem frivolous: 1. Have my eye brows waxed. 2. Visit the consignment shop downtown. 3. Walk around the antique store at the old mill in town, just cuz.
2. Snuggle with my hubby and watch a movie
3. Jog
4. Read my Bible every day
5. Plant my garden

I also promise to let the menagerie of flowers with no stems, weeds with entire root systems, pebbles, pine cones, special sand, and beautiful leaves enter my house with thanksgiving in my heart.

I promise to shed as many tears as I need to without feeling silly when I watch my oldest little graduate from preschool on Thursday. Packin extra tissues for that one.

That’s it. That’s our plan this week. What does your mini bucket list look like?

And this weekend, come h*** or high water, we're heading for the hills. Going home to soak up some family and some lake and some mountains. Kids, crazy, and all.

And oh man, when you have a minute read this : More from the lovely Ann Voskamp. Just can't get enough of the truth held in her writing.

Signing out since I just dropped the top of my ice cream cone onto the floor next to my chair. I have five seconds, right?