Beauty in the Mess ~ Edition 4.26.14

Thank you so much for your outpouring of heartfelt comments on my last post. It was so nice to feel less alone – and I was reminded yet again of the power of vulnerability and how it can touch the hearts of others when I least expect it.

Now, it’s that time when I share with all of you the everyday beauty that I am surrounded with – in spite of this sometimes messy life.

There is beauty in “free” ice cream at ChickFilA when you exchange your book in for ice cream with a kid’s meal. (P.S. If you are gluten-free, this seriously is the best and most cost-effective option at CFA: kids meal, grilled nuggets, with fries or fruit, and a drink – and ice cream to boot – for FAR less than you would pay for a no-bun sandwich!)

And this one and only time, this CFA offered us sprinkles! You can see how that made Ezra’s day (and mine)!

There is beauty in early-morning before-school just-this-once trips to Dunkin Donuts. Because sometimes kids just need a treat with Daddy and Mommy. #indulge

And then there is beauty in your boy chatting up the regulars – charming them with stories of monsters, cows, and dump trucks. #imagination

There is beauty in being greeted by this sight first thing in the morning!

There is beauty in finally having a view like this after 6 years of window-less dish washing:

There is beauty in finding a cute bedroom set for your son’s new twin bed – for FIVE DOLLARS at the thrift store!

And storage bins at Goodwill for the new playroom in the basement:

There is beauty in your preschooler taking a HUGE mental leap and developing a love for puzzles – and doing them by himself without help, over and over and over!

60 pieces!!!

There is beauty in date night – especially when your meal is paid for by a gift card that a friend sent you – and beauty in your husband being…well, your husband! #dork

And there is beauty in discovering that Olive Garden has a gluten-free menu! Which turned out to be surprisingly yummy!

And FINALLY having a pastry at Starbucks you can actually eat because it is flourless!

There is beauty…oh so much beauty…um, you just have no idea how much beauty…in FINALLY being DONE (fingers crossed) with poopy diapers. Apparently, moving to a new location is the magic cure for potty training plateaus, because as soon as we moved into our new home, guess who started going poop in the potty almost every day? This boy!

(This same thing happened last year with peeing in the potty – as soon as we moved he got over the hump. My potty training advice? The problem isn’t with your child, it’s with where you live. MOVE!)

For his reward, he gets bananas.

Having a grocery store we can walk to to get bananas helps too. #positivereinforcement

I’m going to be talking about this more in my monthly newsletter (*hint hint subscribe*) – but Russ and I have been working out together in the evenings after Ezra goes to bed. And that’s all kinds of beautiful for so many reasons.

This night, Ezra was still up so he decided to help daddy go lower with his lunges:

There is beauty in ANOTHER date night. Wow we lucked out this month!

There is beauty and irony in the moment when you realize that this has been sitting on your kitchen table for days – and you knew it was there but didn’t really realize until that moment that something didn’t quite belong. #boymom

There is beauty in gluten-free half-paleo blueberry muffins on a hard Easter Sunday.

There is beauty in your son’s first field trip. Because even though it brings back memories and you feel sort of odd because wasn’t-I-just-young-enough-to-go-on-these-myself and how-am-I-old-enough-to-be-the-mom-chaperone – your son is thrilled for his first bus ride and you are just happy to share in that moment:

And there is beauty in the bus ride home – when he falls asleep on your lap because, as much as he is such a big boy – he is still SUCH a baby.

There is beauty in this: There is beauty in this: paper sorting, searching for a missing bill, watching the #inRL webcast, #fmfpartysnailmail ready to mail, empty coffee cup…and yes, I was wearing pajama pants. Messy is #thenewpretty.

There is beauty in treating Ezra to an hour at the children’s museum after school – and watching his brain work. #littlearchitect

And then, there was beauty in attending the (in)RL meetup. Because as much as I was torn on which meetup to attend (because there were two within driving distance), I chose the closer community and was still very much blessed.

Ashley made it easy with all of the chocolate, beautiful decor, and a craft I enjoyed:

I hope that, whatever you are facing or going through today, you can find God’s beauty in your mess.