Our home is a little more lived in these days. This is not a complaint, merely a statement of fact. It seems like we are in a constant state of running the dishwasher, picking up toys, and doing laundry even though it seems like my boys hardly even wear clothing anymore. There’s a bit of a Lord of the Flies vibe going on with a lot of beautiful moments in between.

The boys have taken it upon themselves to mark their territory on a regular basis. And yes, it smells exactly like you think it would. 

There have been some ups and downs as we’ve worked to settle into our distance learning/WFH/quarantine groove, complete with new routines and having to spend a lot more time together under one roof than usual. Doors were perpetually being left open and even more lights left on. Rationalizing with our kids wasn’t working to reduce the infractions and nagging was making everyone miserable.

So we came up with a game with one simple rule: if you leave a light on or a door open, everyone gets five push-ups. Now when there is an infraction discovered by mom or dad, there are no pointing fingers and a lot more smiles. Everyone stops what they are doing, drops and gives five. 

There’s a saying in the military: You can be a smart Ranger or you can be a strong Ranger. I’m here to report that we are building a lot of strong Rangers in my family, and are getting stronger by the day. 

Happy Mother’s Day to all you badass mothers out there. Cheers to you for doing your best at the hardest but best job on the planet.