11. The Precarious State of Relaxing

My house is a mess right now. There are currently seven shoes on the living room floor. I couldn't tell you where the three unmatched halves are. There are toys, dirty baby clothes, at least nine puzzle pieces, a backpack and the folder that is supposed to be in it, four throw pillows, one neck pillow, a baseball, three recently emptied buckets --with two each missing one handle-- a blanket, three movie cases, and the microphone to a karaoke machine. And that's just what I can see as I lie here on my couch. "So why don't you get up and clean it?" I can hear you asking. Sleep. 

That is the driving force in this household. It is the precious reason behind many of the daily efforts of this stay-at-home mom. Oh, I'm not talking about my sleep. At least, not today. Today is all about the kids' sleep. You see, I have three kids, and right now ALL OF THEM ARE NAPPING. Yes. You read that right. Let me repeat in case you missed it. All. Three. Kids. Are. Napping. The four year old, the two year old, and the five month old are ALL asleep. 

Now. If you're not a stay-at-home mom you may not realize what a big deal this is. One sleeping child is a break. Two sleeping children is downright calming. But to have all three beings unconscious at once? Miracle.

Could I be washing dishes? Sure. If I wanted to ruin the peace. Could I be picking up the toys? If I wanted to risk the inevitable floor creak or shifting toybox pile, misjudged distance to the couch. But I don't. Sleeping children are happy children. And happy children mean happy mom. 

So the mess can wait. I have some alone time to enjoy.