Thursday, September 18, 2008

Necessities vs. Bonuses Part I

Alright, here’s the deal: God has had me laughing at myself a lot lately. It seems that as seasons change, so do I and so do my so called “needs”. All these things that I once thought were definite necessities in my life are now just bonuses. Things that I just knew I could not live without—I could give or take now.

Here are just a few examples of my once daily necessities turned bonuses:

1. 8 hours of consecutive sleep per night. (You can live off 4-5 hours of interrupted sleep if you have too!)

2. Sitting during a meal. (Totally overrated—and now I just think of how I'm burning all those calories just as soon as they come enter my mouth. )

3. Showering/Bathing/Using the bathroom alone. (The master bathroom has become our family room—we converse, eat, shower, plan for the day, play ball, you name it—if it is usually done in the family room by normal people, we do it in the master bathroom. Between helping everyone get ready and potty training—we seem to live in there. It’s great though—just fix the kids breakfast and put them in the empty bathtub to eat, and then any mess they make, you just wash down the drain. No need to get frustrated about spilled juice or crumbs everywhere. When they are done eating, just take their clothes off and wash the kids up. Really, it is an ingenious idea if you ask me. And besides, if you are lucky enough to have a garden tub, and you can convince the kids that it is their very own swimming pool. My kids think they have the coolest parents, because we let them eat in “their pool” and we let them “swim” in it as long as they like --This one I do when I am waiting in Chris to get home from work and I feel like the boys are going stir crazy—just throw them in the master “pool” for about an hour. They love it!)

4. Leisure reading. (Please, don’t embarrass me by asking me anything about pop culture, or telling me that my shawl has transferred from the what’s hot to what’s not list about 3 years ago.)

5. Hot coffee. (Coffee -and lots of it!- is still a necessity, but I am beginning to develop a liking for lukewarm/border line cold coffee. Here’s the cool thing: You can start with a hot cup, and then when it hits that borderline cold state, just throw ice in it and call it a frappuccino. It works, I promise.)

6. Shaving my legs. (OK, once a week is still a necessity, but daily—just a bonus :).

7. Sunglasses. (If I can ever find those things in my diaper bag while I am driving and they are in one piece when I finally unearth them--that is a huge bonus. It never happens though. Max gets so frustrated when he can’t find his (he owns at least 5 pairs), and I just laugh because I know the day is soon coming when he too will consider it just a bonus to have them on hand. Jack (the 2nd child—who does not own a single pair-- just puts a book over his head if the sun is in his eyes while we're driving. Oh, how things change from that first child to the 2nd!)

8. A hot meal at least once a day. (String cheese, yogurt, and fruit snacks really can go a long way :).

I could list many more, but I want you to know that I once believed it was "my right" to have these things (I know, I was and still can be incredibly selfish). Now that I have realized that these once I couldn’t live without things are just bonuses, I really have become a much more pleasant person. If I get them, great. If I don’t—oh well. The day will soon come when I can be well rested, alone in my bathroom, taking a bath while reading an In Style magazine, shaving my legs, sipping on hot coffee, and wearing my non- broken sunglasses if I want to. And you know what I will be sitting there thinking about? The days when we used to eat breakfast and play baseball in the bathroom with the kids :).

Somebody, please just remind me I wrote that the next time you see me picking the kids up from school with a purple scrunchy in my hair, digging through their lunchboxes for a leftover PB&J to eat on the way to the car!

What about you? What are some everyday things that you once thought you could not live without, that now you consider just a bonus?

11 comments:

Faith said...

I love this! I think the pool/tub thing IS ingenious!

When I was still working, I enjoyed my favorite decaf peppermint mocha from Starbucks at least 2 or 3 times a week...now that my "fun money" is gone, I maybe get one every couple weeks. I enjoy it so much more now when I have one!

paige said...

BABABABABABAAAAHAHAHAHAHHHAHAAA!!!

That was sooooooo well-written and I'm cracking up!!!!!!!!!!!

Um, as far as a bonus, I guess being able to type this message is a real bonus! If I have to delete half the message to un-do all the letters Ryan typed within it, it's okay...that's why the delete button is there!!!!!

Anonymous said...

For me, after reading this post - mental help for Holly has gone from being a "bonus" to a "necessity"! Chris

Anonymous said...

Rolling over laughing hysterically is what I'm doing right now....

I would say, for me, using the restroom alone uninterupted is an aboslute bonus for me.....And I got two teenagers (one of them is a boy - HELLO)and a 10 year old...What's the deal with that?

Hey, I'd be happy if Tito wouldn't pick the lock each time I'm in there...

Anonymous said...

Holly~ you are so dang funny!!!!!But whats even more hysterical is that I beleive you are really seriuos about most of this!!!! Lordy, I remember those days when i didn't get out of my pj's until 1:00, I think taking a shower was the peak of my day back then. But it goes by SO fast. I just "tucked" Maddie in & I think evey time as I scratch her back as she drifts off to sleep...how much longer do I get to do this, There was a time I WISHED she DIDN'T want me to do it every night, Now at this season I'm counting the weeks till she decides it isn't necessary anymore. You're attitude is awesome for this season of your life, enjoy the ride!!!!
Love ya girlie!
Renee

Anonymous said...

dinner out with my hubby....

:)

love
jess

{darlene} said...

This list is just great. Love it. and soooo true!

My neccessity, was a HOT cup of tea or coffee in the morning.
Well, I still get my coffee... but hot???? nope!
sigh. the day will come!
Instead, I do get buggar-y, breakfasty kisses.
Darlene

Stacey the Hippie said...

I am definately making a mental note for the eating in the bath idea for when God blesses me with kids. lol.

Unknown said...

For me - being able to jump in my car and run to Target. AND when I am there, just buy things for myself. Fun things like candles and things I don't really need.
To do that now - it is a HUGE bonus. (I actually don't think I get to only buy for me, but some times I get to go by myself)

Holly said...

faith--i totally hear you on the starbucks! i have learned to enjoy gas station coffee almost as much--it is much easier to grab on the run--and it's cheaper!
chris-haha
gloria-- lol. what is the deal with that??? :)
renee'-- you are so right. keep reminding of how short these days can be.
paige,jess, and darlene--great ones. i hear you guys on all of those, but those morning snuggles and wet kisses are worth it, aren't they?
stacey--thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment
alicia--totally understand about target. i don't even go there when i am alone because i go there so much with the kids, that it has definitely lost it's sparkle to me. i have way too many nightmarish memories of a gazillion preschool meltdowns in the checkout lane to ever be able to enjoy shopping there :)

Tiffany Cooper said...

Your part one and part two of this entry were great. It's hard to pick a fav but I really like the one about letting the kids eat in the tub...very genius :)
I've never used the tide pens but I might need to buy some after reading your post.
Case had his 2 month shots today.
Have a good night!