I've had some women (and even men) comment before about how I seem to do so much. I don't think I do all that much--it just might be different from what someone else does. I have some seriously unmotivated days mixed with days where I seem to be on fire. There are good and bad things about both.
On days when I seem to be accomplishing the most on a "To Do" list I often feel that the day was a bust because I didn't spend as much time sitting with my kids and just being there with them. On the flip side, days where I feel like I was a really good mom and was there with and for my kids I usually feel like I wasted a day of getting things done. There is no perfect method. There is no real solution and I think that is just part of life. Lately I've been trying to look at my days as part of something bigger. Our lives our more than just the one day we are living--so if I had 3 days in a row of really being there for my kids I feel like it won't kill them if I spend a day knocking the crud out of a to-do list. (The 3:1 ratio is totally not a real calculation I follow...)
The other thing I have been finding is that I can do both from time to time. And, my "acceptable" standard needs to be adjusted for the season of my life that I am in. The season I am in is totally my springtime (little kids and lots of work!) One of the things I enjoy doing for myself and my family is canning. The last several years I have done more and more. I haven't really decided if it saves me a lot of money in the end, but it sure is nice to stand back and look at my shelves full of food;) Last summer I made a lot of jam so I wouldn't have to make it this year, too. That plan worked! So this year I canned more of everything else. We should have enough peaches, pears, applesauce, salsa, and jam to last a year now;) I also froze a ton of berries to have on hand. Some of the salsa I am canning from the tomatoes in our garden, but most of it was from tomatoes that I bought. One Friday a few weeks back I came home from work and knew that I needed to can some pears or the business of life would lead to several pounds of pears going to waste.
I occupied my children and got to work. It was a long process, but I didn't feel rushed or overwhelmed. I had my mo for a little while to help with peeling and Adrian to help with entertaining little ones. I was surrounded by my family and felt good about what I was doing for them. When I finally reached the point where I had a batch processing and time to look around I did a tour of the house and almost cried. Almost! I stopped myself and took a moment to laugh at the reality of life when canning.
3 loads of laundry to fold (probably more in the dryer...) but when is there not laundry to fold?
On days when I seem to be accomplishing the most on a "To Do" list I often feel that the day was a bust because I didn't spend as much time sitting with my kids and just being there with them. On the flip side, days where I feel like I was a really good mom and was there with and for my kids I usually feel like I wasted a day of getting things done. There is no perfect method. There is no real solution and I think that is just part of life. Lately I've been trying to look at my days as part of something bigger. Our lives our more than just the one day we are living--so if I had 3 days in a row of really being there for my kids I feel like it won't kill them if I spend a day knocking the crud out of a to-do list. (The 3:1 ratio is totally not a real calculation I follow...)
The other thing I have been finding is that I can do both from time to time. And, my "acceptable" standard needs to be adjusted for the season of my life that I am in. The season I am in is totally my springtime (little kids and lots of work!) One of the things I enjoy doing for myself and my family is canning. The last several years I have done more and more. I haven't really decided if it saves me a lot of money in the end, but it sure is nice to stand back and look at my shelves full of food;) Last summer I made a lot of jam so I wouldn't have to make it this year, too. That plan worked! So this year I canned more of everything else. We should have enough peaches, pears, applesauce, salsa, and jam to last a year now;) I also froze a ton of berries to have on hand. Some of the salsa I am canning from the tomatoes in our garden, but most of it was from tomatoes that I bought. One Friday a few weeks back I came home from work and knew that I needed to can some pears or the business of life would lead to several pounds of pears going to waste.
I occupied my children and got to work. It was a long process, but I didn't feel rushed or overwhelmed. I had my mo for a little while to help with peeling and Adrian to help with entertaining little ones. I was surrounded by my family and felt good about what I was doing for them. When I finally reached the point where I had a batch processing and time to look around I did a tour of the house and almost cried. Almost! I stopped myself and took a moment to laugh at the reality of life when canning.
3 loads of laundry to fold (probably more in the dryer...) but when is there not laundry to fold?
A happy three year old despite the chaos around him.
Buckets of emptied scarves from creative children playing a game.
A kitchen table that still held the remnants of a thrown together dinner and all the stuff off the counters.
A well loved bedroom that looks like someone loves to play;)
A kitchen full of the sweet sticky smells of fresh fruit being canned.
But most of all I had some really happy children who didn't seem upset at all that I was tackling a pretty huge project on my to-do. Because even though I was "busy" I was still "there."
The truth is: canning may not be about saving money or even be an easier way to store up food than buying it on sale at the store. The truth is: home canned foods taste better! I know what is in it and my family loves to eat the food that I canned. The truth is: anyone walking into my home at that moment may have thought plenty of things, but they would have seen a mom who loved her children and children who loved their mom. Happy children who may not have been in a "clean" house at the moment, but were obviously well cared for and would have plenty of pears to live off of if nothing else;)
So, before you think any thoughts of me being some sort of wonder woman or guilt at not canning or whatever else, remember something. Remember that we often forget about all of the "imperfect" that makes up the seemingly "perfect" we think we see in others. I love the imperfect (even as I strive for perfect in myself and my family--I can't help it!) I love the memories that are made as life is being lived and people are being loved.
Now I should probably finally go clean up those messes pictured above...jk! Excuse me as I go enjoy the fruits of my labors.
The truth is: canning may not be about saving money or even be an easier way to store up food than buying it on sale at the store. The truth is: home canned foods taste better! I know what is in it and my family loves to eat the food that I canned. The truth is: anyone walking into my home at that moment may have thought plenty of things, but they would have seen a mom who loved her children and children who loved their mom. Happy children who may not have been in a "clean" house at the moment, but were obviously well cared for and would have plenty of pears to live off of if nothing else;)
So, before you think any thoughts of me being some sort of wonder woman or guilt at not canning or whatever else, remember something. Remember that we often forget about all of the "imperfect" that makes up the seemingly "perfect" we think we see in others. I love the imperfect (even as I strive for perfect in myself and my family--I can't help it!) I love the memories that are made as life is being lived and people are being loved.
Now I should probably finally go clean up those messes pictured above...jk! Excuse me as I go enjoy the fruits of my labors.
1 comments:
Love, love, love this post. My first thought, honestly, was how much I miss canning. We had an amazing garden in Vancouver (where things actually GROW without much encouragement) and two pear trees and two apple trees and about 200 strawberry plants. I am a lot less busy in the fall, but I miss canning so much, not for the mess it leaves my house in, but for the money I save, the food storage I get, the fact that it tastes SO GOOD (especially in February or March), and that I feel SO GOOD about doing it for my family!!
My second thought about this post is that I just love everything you said. Yeah, the chaos will happen around you when you're not on top of it, but the kids don't mind it and they love having you there. They see you working and doing good things, and that's the best! I really am learning that "perfect" isn't "clean." "Perfect" is "happy." Sometimes "happy" means clean, and sometimes it means messy while we do something else, but either way is "perfect."
Lovely post. (Tad jealous of your bottles.... I've GOTTA buy me a couple of fruit trees!!! And maybe a greenhouse so we can have strawberries again!) ;)
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