Breaking Out Of The Routine

As you already know, we spent last Monday evening together outside jumping in puddles. We decided to turn our situation of what seems like never ending rain into a great opportunity, and I must admit that we had a great time. On Monday morning when I told the hooligans that we were going to spend the evening getting wet they just couldn't believe the words that were coming out of my mouth. Lou kept asking me why. She just couldn't fathom that I would allow them to go outside and get wet, but even more so that I would actually participate too. They know me all too well. My life is very structured. Part of this is due to the fact that I have an extremely busy life, and the only way for me to fit everything in is to sit down and map out my time. Even then I fall short of accomplishing all of the things I would really like to, but at least it ensures that I get most things taken care of. I like to blame the other half of my structured ways on my upbringing. My house was organized in every way possible when I was young. It was a house of routine, and a house of rules. There was a place for everything and a time for everything, and we didn't stray outside of those lines. Ever. It wasn't until I was in high school venturing out with friends and spending time in their homes that I realized that there was a whole different life going on outside of my home. Now don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade my home or my family for anything and my structured youth was suited well to who I am, but seeing a new side of life was freeing for me. Not in a rebellious sense, but just in a break in the routine kind of way. In my friends homes they were staying up late baking cookies and listening to music until all hours of the night. They were watching movies and playing games, and laughing together as families. Visiting their homes was like stretching my arms and legs after a long nights rest. It felt good, and it was needed. Now that I have a family of my own I think I have a mixture of my own up bringing mixed in with a little of the things I saw my friends and their families do. Sure my life is calendared out so I don't miss anything, but we do add in nights like this one where we throw caution to the wind and put our flip flops on in the cold weather and run outside to jump in puddles. It feels good to step outside of the box that we call routine in this home. It feels good to stretch and not worry about a single thing and just laugh together even if it's only for a half an hour. It feels good to add a little random in with the fast pace regularity. I think if you asked my hooligans what their opinion is they would tell you the same thing. This kind of thing would have been unheard of at my house growing up if for no other reason than my mother not wanting me to get sick. I understand where she was coming from and I love her and her ways to this day. I have learned that I am different and that being different is ok. We made a memory on this evening that was well worth it. It was worth every minute from Doop breaking his flip flops to the neighbor laughing at me while I was lying on my back in the middle of the puddles to capture these images. It was worth being cold and getting dirty just to spend the time together and see the big smiles that my three favorite little people had on their faces. Sometimes life gets hectic around our house and sometimes I feel like I'm suffocating in responsibility. Sometimes these three feel that pressure of constantly running and having somewhere to be or something to do, and sometimes they need a few minutes just like these ones to just be kids. They need to jump in puddles and get wet and laugh and not even care that they are dirty. They need to see that it's good for me to do the same thing. These puddles were a blessing, and we can't wait to make another memory like this one.