Quitting Perfection

**If you like listening rather than reading please click here. In the vain of quitting perfection, my recordings will never be rerecorded and edited unless they're terrible and even then it will truly have to be horrible. I don't really have time for any of this, so time for editing my readings doesn't exist either. You have been warned. :)**

Planning might just be the bane of my existence. Seriously. It is the thing I am constantly running up against, fighting against, and relearning how to do. It is no exaggeration to say that my plans never  go as planned. Ever. Ever. Ever. Try as I might they just do not obey. 

You know those people, the ones exactly opposite of me, that are able to plan a trip...say to Colorado and have that trip go off without a hitch. Everything planned goes as planned and if you could grade the trip they would always receive not just and A but an A+. And if there was such a thing they might just receive an A++. 

That’s not me. 

Ever.

When planning our week long trip to Colorado, I got my ducks in a row early and booked an Air BnB. Now, the last one we stayed in was nice but the area was a bit shady. This was ok, but just proves my point that I’m no good at this. In fact when I told my oldest we were staying at another one she just rolled her eyes at me and laughed. She knows. I just can’t get it right. 

And I didn’t. 

The listing was confusing. Even my hubby, who still sticks around though all my planning mishaps, God bless his heart, said it was confusing. The listing made me think we were renting the entire house not just the mother in law suite in the basement.  It was clean and nice with enough beds but let’s just say 1 toilet for 10 people for 4 nights. Good times. 

Nuf’ said.

I also planned a bunch of hiking for us to do as well asj white water rafting. 70-80 degree weather the week before. 30s and 40s for us. Not a whole lot of time was spent outside. Though we woke up to snow which was fun for about 10 min. til the joyful ringing of kid voices started asking to play in it. We didn’t exactly pajck for snow since the weather was supposed to be nice enough to hike, and river raft. 

On the bright side I introduced my kids to Urkle. Remember Urkle from Family Matters? So funny. They watched the entire first season.

(Just in case you forgot or wearn't watching TV in the 90s)

This is because of...wait for it...

... the time change. That was like a stab in the face every morning. Did you know the sun comes up SHINING at 5:30in Colorado? Nope. Neither did I. And this happens every morning. Yes. Every morning. That’s a lot of 20 min. episodes to watch before 7 when mom gets up. 

I’m really fun in the mornings.

Said no one about me ever. 

We did do some fun things to be sure but it just wasn’t what I expected. There was the random old school arcade in a bar that we took the kids to.

No worries, we are responsible parents so we didn’t let them drink anything but water. 

Hunter wanted us to leave him there and come back for him on our way home. We told him maybe next time. 

See, super responsible. 

The Art Museum had a ginormous broom and dustpan outside. I tried not to think about how much that was my life imitated in art. And the sign right next to it made me laugh out loud. 

The award for most random though has to go to the aquarium. Yes, the aquarium which had tigers. Like 3. Giant fish, sharks and 3 tigers.  That was interesting for sure. I always feel sorry for big animals in cages (I cried big, fat, juicy tears the first time I saw Shamu perform at Sea World). Especially if the cage is pretty much like a huge aquarium and say, not outside with lots of grass to
 roam around in.

We did hike through the Garden of the Gods. It was beautiful but because it was paved my kids refused to call it hiking and instead complained for the first 20 min. that we were not actually hiking in the Rockies (like planned!!) but walking rather. 

They were probably right. 

Then there was the Teach Them Diligently’s home school conference which was the exact opposite of what I expected. Conferences tend to overwhelm me: too many people, and total information overload. I begin to feel like I can’t ever do any of what I’m “supposed” to be doing.  Sadly, I compare myself or my family to other families. So a homeschooling conference can bring out the worst in what already is a struggle for me. 

Why in the world do you go then?

I don’t know. 

No, I’m kidding. I’m so encouraged by being around like-minded people. This is especially true when you’re taking “the road less traveled” and heaping all the responsibility of your 8 kids education on your tiny shoulders. And this year at the conference my heart (and my husband’s) was so encouraged and challenged. 

Side note: if you ask my Love where our kids go to school he will say (and I quote), “My wife homeschools them.” He doesn’t even pretend. He’s awesome. And is awesome to support all of it and lead us through it and though he probably won’t teach a subject most years he still engages and loves it all.  

Moving on. I do have a point, I think. 

It isn’t a failure to do your best. You’re not failing if your plans don’t work out just right....if the whipping cream doesn’t actually whip and the dirt cake is just covered in not so much cream. Yup, that was me today. And you know what? Maybe just go ahead and quit setting the bar so high for yourself (and those around you). Join the okayist club (we have T-shirts) and give up on that whole perfection idea. 

All your kids will remember is the time you went to Colorado and watched a bunch of Family Matters in some stranger’s basement and they’ll probably think it was awesome anyway.