I JUST NEED 24 HOURS...

I found myself wishing,

as I shut my eyes for two minutes inbetween

 finishing school with one child and picking up another child from college,

 I could have an extra

24 hours

in a day.

Just one extra day, I don't ask for much.

Only I would get that extra time,

nobody else in the world, especially my children.

They'd be in a time warp where they couldn't

make any more messes,

eat any more groceries,

dirty any more clothes,

take any more scissors or tape,

or ask me any other questions.

Speaking of questions, while I was pondering this miracle in my mind,

 another child, who was finishing homework asked,

"M-ah-ah-ahm,what's for dinner?"

The longer it takes him to say my name, the hungrier he is.

In my mind I was thinking, "Dude, the same as every night, I don't know!"

Instead I politely mumbled, "I don't know."

I went back to dreaming about that extra

24 hours

 all to myself.

What would I do? 

Sleep? 

No, that would be a waste of time.

Eat?

No,  I'm the one who wants the Wonka pill.

I wouldn't waste time eating, except for chocolate,

and I can eat chocolate along with

 whatever I do in my extra

24 hours.

What do I really want?

My house to be in order.

I want all my stuff to have a place

and all my stuff to be in its place.

I want my life to function  as smoothly

 as in the magazines.

When the kids were little, I was in total control.

 The house was clean, three meals were done, one or two loads of laudry done each day.

All that sleeping little kids do made this easy.

As the kids aged, their interests had to be added to my calendar.

Instead of cleaning my bathroom every day (yes I did that during cloth diaper days),

I've been wondering when was the last time I really cleaned it.  

 I don't mean the Lysol wipe clean, but the real clean.

I just want my house in order.

That extra 24 hours, I know it won't happen.  It's not logical.

But, I  always have 15 minutes. 

I learned that lesson years ago. I can always find 15 minutes each day.

I'm gunna' make a list of things that need to be done

and carve out a mere 15 minutes a day.

I like lists. 

This could work.

365 x 15 =5475 minutes saved in a year

1440 minutes each day

3.8 extra days each year.

What?

Not even four days a year gained?

That's not enough.

 Too much effort, for too little outcome.

I think I'm gunna' go back to just

dreaming

about that

 extra 24 hours a day.

Clean and organized houses are overrated anyway,

right?

Right?

Right!

Instead, I'll throw away those magazines

and finish my nap.

I plan on sleeping longer than 15 minutes......

maybe

24 hours.

Wonka to the Rescue

My life can be pretty busy.

Well-meaning people  suggest I take things out of my life.

That always stumps me. 

I don't serve on any committees,

I don't get my hair or nails done,
rarely shop for anything other than groceries,

and it's not a sports season for anybody.

I don't work out, (you'd believe me if you saw my jelly-belly)

and  we order pizza more often than I care to admit.

But, I'm frequently told  to simplify my life.

Any takers for the three bathrooms that need to be cleaned? 

How about cooking the three meals a day?

OK.  No takers. 

I have to come up with another plan to simplify my life.

For the meals I'm gunna'

start buying Wonka gum. 

Remember his Three-Course Dinner Chewing Gum? 

I would LOVE to serve this for dinner every night. 

Much less shopping, no preparation, no cooking, no cleaning. 

We could sit around the dinner table, pop in our pieces of gum, chew and chat.

"Please pass the Tomato soup, roast beef and baked potato,

and blueberry pie and ice cream piece of gum."

"Oh, Wonka perfected that one, huh? 

Ya' sure ya' ain't gunna turn into a giant blueberry?"

"How did school go today, all my precious children?"

"Is there another steak, potato and salad piece left?"

"Father, how was work today?"

"Who took the last piece of pizza, breadsticks and Caesar salad gum?

I wanted it!"

Maybe, no more complaints about dinner. 

Maybe, no more fighting over whose turn it is for dishes. 

No more sweeping more food off the floor than appears to have been swallowed.

We've have time for rational, intellectual conversation every night in-between chomps.

Yea, I am totally going to buy Wonka gum.

Then, I'm gunna'

hire Alice to be my housekeeper. 

Ya' know, from The Brady Bunch. 

If she's not available, I'm gunna driving to Mayberry to hire Aunt Bea. 

I need someone who is starched and polished and has the laundry folded,

the house spotless and the meals on time, all the time.  

Every.

single.

day.

of.

my.

life.

Yea, so then for the Honey Do list,

even though my awesome honey actually crossed off a lot of thing this weekend,  

I'm gunna' hire MacGyver.

I'll just give the big M a box of paperclips, a hand full of pens

 and duct tape and put him to work. 

Oh, that's right, I'd have to dig all the pens out of the couch cushions,

under the beds and out of purses not being used,

so he'll have to work without the pens.

We'll start showering

with our clothes on to save on laundry. 

We might even throw the dirty coffee mugs in the tub to save time in the kitchen. 

We can give up eating, but I can't give up coffee.

I'll stop washing our sheets and towels,

what a waste of time, anyway. 

If I bought new once a year, it would cut down on shopping and laundry. 

I could go green and save some green.

 Then, if I wasn't cooking, cleaning and doing laundry,

I would have a lot of free time on my hands.

 I could start

getting my hair and nails done. 

 I could start working out

and

head up a coupla' committees.

But, it all starts with the gum.  I gotta' get some of that Wonka Gum!

Until the gum is on the market, I'll use the same motivation I always use when the necessary duties of everyday life just seem to pile up.

Galatians 6:9

And let us not grow weary while doing good,

for in due season we shall reap

 if we do not lose heart.

Philippians 2:14

Do everything without complaining

(to Mom, not the kids)

Since I can't chomp on Wonka gum,

I'm chomping on my tongue, to keep it from complaining. 

And, I am cooking, cleaning, laundering, schooling, gardening

 and mommying with a full heart and strength for the journey.

Thank you, Lord!

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I'm linking up with other moms to see how their handling their Monday.