Poetry and Comparisons

I know it's not good to compare ourselves with others, but sometimes I can't help it. I think we're all guilty of it at times. I don't try to compare myself with others to prove my superiority over others or to be judgemental. Nor do I compare myself with others to the detriment of my own self-esteem. In fact, sometimes when I compare myself with others I see ways that I can improve and am encouraged by those I admire--or rather by those whose qualities I admire.

This is true as I read about mothers who do a great job of making a happy home life for their families and who are creative and artistic in the process.

One such mother is Stephanie Nielson, a mother whose blog I started following a few months ago. She was in a plane crash about a month ago, along with her husband, and suffered serious injuries. I miss reading her posts, but have been uplifted and amazed at how many people she influenced for good. Her sister has been helping to take care of Stephanie's children and has been a great example through her blog as well. Both of these women seem to make a point to make good things happen for their children.

We had a nice day at home. All were generally happy. No one had a time out today. The children were fed and bathed. The boys have plenty of toys to play with and plenty of space to play in, and they seemed to enjoy playing to their fullest today. But aside from letting them help me fill up the birdfeeders and bringing the Fisher Price Little People Noah's Ark and school bus down from the attic, what did I do to make it a special day? . . . Nothing. With the exception of our 10-minute scripture time this morning, I didn't even read to them! I wish that I had that knack of taking a few minutes out of my chores-and-to-do-list time to focus on doing something with them. I know that it doesn't take much, and the more I read about what things others are able to do, the more I am encouraged that I should be doing the same.

On the other hand, I watched Nanny 911 for the first time today. My sister-in-law is gone for the night and asked me to come by to take care of Dixie. I thought I would enjoy a few minutes to myself flipping channels and got stuck watching. So, even though I had Brett finish up with the last 10-minutes of the bedtime routine tonight because I was kind of worn out [read: didn't even kiss my kids goodnight(!)], after watching the two families featured on the Nanny 911 show I was feeling like the Best Mom in Town!
Note: I'm not anxious to watch the show again. Yikes! I actually found it kind of depressing and very frustrating at the same time. And, rest assured, I will be stopping by the boys' rooms on my way to bed (as I always do) to give them their goodnight kisses.

Finals results after comparing myself to others: I may not be Stephanie Nielson, but I think I'm doing a pretty good job in the long run.

And speaking of being creative, this almost sounded like poetry (albeit depressing poetry) when it left my lips this afternoon as I hand-picked clumps of hair off the carpet. Be sure to compare this with the poetry of a two-year old rather than that of someone who actually has talent.

Dog hair
Dog hair
Dog hair
I'm so sick of it!