Bored.

I am bored, very, very bored with lots and lots of things to do. But the things I have to do are not things that are fun. They aren't things I am looking forward to. So I am looking at my two toddlers. I am wondering if they are bored, too. I sure hope not, but sometimes when one or both of them get frustrated and start asking to do something but can't tell me what it is they want to do, then I start to think they are bored. Bored, even though they have a ridiculous amount of toys. Blocks and dress-up clothes, puzzles and My Little Ponies. There are dolls and stuffed animals all over their room. Princess toys, musical toys, and a bunch of random toys fill up bins in our living room. We have tons of craft supplies. We go on outings regularly, but I am still considering the possibility that my two little sweethearts are bored. Doesn't seem to make much sense, but oh well.



So here's what I'm thinking. I'm bored because I'm tired of doing the same things over and over and over again. When they start to act frustrated and ignore the things they have to do at home, maybe they are just tired of doing the same things over and over and over again. Sure, it seems silly. I mean, how could you get tired of relaxing in a kiddy pool when you have no responsibilities? Yet, everyone, no matter the age could benefit from a little change now and then. So, I've decided that tomorrow we'll just trade. My kids can dress up in mommy sweatpants and do the dishes and fold laundry, while I build a castle out of alphabet blocks then take a nap. Problem solved.



Or, maybe we'll just do something different tomorrow. Together. I'm thinking we might make bird feeders out of cardboard, peanut butter, and birdseed. It's a cheap, fun, craft we can make together, and they'll like it because it is messy and edible, at least partially.

Who is this Girl?

I am the kind of girl who visits the mailbox multiple times a day when waiting for a package or some news. I am the kind of girl who cannot focus on anything else when there is a pressing or exciting matter unresolved. I am the kind of girl who sets a goal, and always reaches it, though usually at the expense of every other little thing in my life. Or at least that used to be this girl.

But here I am with a completed novel and no agent. Two agents have requested the full manuscript and have it, but I am somehow staying calm while waiting on word from them. I have final essays to grade this week, not to mention other teaching obligations. There is more laundry to do, a dishwasher and dish rack to unload, and there are so, so many other chores that need to be done. Cheerios are everywhere in my house they should not be. Yet, I took my kids to the zoo and then out for a treat at a coffee shop today. Somehow I am not stressed at all about my unpublished novel or my ever growing to-do list. Who is this girl?

Really, I don't know. I don't know if I have stressed myself out for so long that I am now numb to anticipation, disappointment, excitement, anxiety, and all those other feelings I have always known so well. Or maybe God has granted me a day off from my usually crazy self. Or it's possible that motherhood is mellowing me out. Who knows? Not me, and you know, I don't even need to know. See what I mean? This is Mellow Brittany.