Lesson(s) Learned

     If you have kids and they're anything like my kids, when they get really into something, they get stuck on it for a while. (Think: a book you've read 1,000 x's, a game they've incessantly asked you to play, a movie they've watched repetitively ...etc.) Well, recently, in our family, the "thing" has been the movie Encanto. Now, my girls were into Encanto back when it came out in 2021. Since then, we've watched the movie more-than-a-handful-of-times, we've bought the action figures & dolls, the Lego sets, and even the costumes complete with glasses, purses, accessories... yes, we're in that deep.     If you haven't seen the movie, I suggest you take a moment and watch it, so you'll have better context for what I'm about to write. But may I warn you? Watch it without your kids, especially if you have little girls. (that is, unless you want to be watching it like 100x's) I digress.     Even if you haven't watched the mo...

Over the years, one thing I've learned about myself is this: I value order. For me, what this looks like in a practical sense is daily routines, a-love-for-filled-out-planners, and a semi-always neat home. What I'm about to tell you may shock some of you mamas out there: Somewhere in the birth canal, our personal values are lost upon our offspring. In other words, I birthed a child who in no way reflects my value for order. She's young, sure. She's intelligent. She's kind and compassionate. She's a CREATIVE child. But she - in no way - values order. Unfortunately, for a good period of time, I allowed this difference-of-values to rob our house of peace. It usually revolved around how the hand towels in our kitchen and bathrooms are hung. (Just writing this out makes me realize how petty and particular I've been about it in the past.) Every single time I saw the hand towels messed up, I would call said child back into the room, show her how to tri-fold the tow...