Waiting for the ball to drop

As a mom of one or twenty kids, you are a juggler.  The juggler has to keep her eye on the next ball, or else all the balls will drop.  The more kids you have, the more ball throwers you have.  The older the kids get, I believe (although still learning this one as I go), the more balls the ball throwers have.  If you are keeping track, there are now a lot of balls flying at your face making juggling very, very tricky.  Heck, if you don't get HIT with one of the balls, you are doing good.

I'm realizing in the "infant" stages of being a mom of 4 kids that you can have a big, goofy smile on your tired face as the sun shines down on your perfectly juggled balls and then...BAM!  Someone throws one in you weren't expecting and you dismally watch in slow motion as all of the balls drop to the ground. 

This is a rather obvious observation, but hey, I am tired these days so any observation is somewhat of a success.  It came to me in the middle of a ball clean up earlier today.  I was playing baseball (pardon the pun) with the kids while the baby was happily kicking on the back porch.  It was a sunny day. I had showered. No one was fighting.  Everyone was happy.  Probably should have started looking for the dark cloud to start moving over our backyard.  I put down my glove and told my boys they'd have to stick with grounders (save us a trip to the emergency room - see, TRYING to stay a step ahead) while I nursed the baby on the porch.  I sat and watched my three older boys playing football easily with each other.  No fights ensued.  No one was injured.  Everyone was STILL happy.  I called the boys inside so that I could start dinner.  The 2-year-old ran inside first and I followed with the baby and the 5-year-old.  I get to the kitchen to find the 2-yo standing in the middle of a glass that he has pulled off the counter onto the tile floor.  It is in a million pieces.  And I am not exaggerating.  Surprise ball numero uno.  Next, I hear the 4-yo screaming on the porch.  He has gotten locked out.  Surprise ball numero dos.  Did I mention the bouncy seat is still on the porch, not the kitchen?  Surprise ball numero tres.  So, I stand holding the baby, with my 2-yo in the middle of broken glass and the 4-yo locked out on the porch.  The 5-yo is watching me carefully....wondering my reaction.  So, I make sure to keep certain choice words to myself.  I swiftly scoop the 2-yo up and put him on the counter to take his shoes off so he doesn't drag glass stuck in the grooves of his tennis shoes all over the house (while balancing the 6-wk old in the other arm).  I tell the 5-yo to tell the 4-yo I'll be right there.  I pick the 2-yo back up, take him out of the kitchen and then go help the 4-yo back in the house.  I tell the kids to stay OUT of the kitchen and go watch Beauty and the Beast (which thank goodness was still in the dvd player) while I struggle to bring the bouncy seat inside the house, while still holding the baby.  I get the baby settled in the bouncy seat who has now started to scream and get to work on cleaning up the glass that is all over the kitchen.  I sweep first, saying " it's okay" to the baby and "didn't i say to stay out of the kitchen" to the other kids.  I look across the floor and see a colony of ants feasting on leftovers from breakfast that have dropped on the floor.  Last but not least, surprise ball numero cuatro .  I roll my eyes, blow my bangs out of the way and grab the vacuum cleaner.  I switch it on and start to suck up the glass, ants and old breakfast crumbs (gross).  After a couple of minutes, I notice something.  The kids are quietly watching the movie.  The baby has stopped crying.  And I am essentially cleaning the floor (maybe glasses should be broken more often).  The balls are in the air again and I can start dinner.  30 minutes later.

I guess maybe you should keep ONE eye on the next ball....the other should relish the current moment. You may never know when the next ball is going to be thrown your way, but it'd sure be a shame to miss the moments when the balls are just perfect.