Cleaning Up The Chaos

It’s 11:43 p.m.. I’ve spent the last 25 minutes sorting through a box of coloring tools trying to partner up uncapped markers to their matching lids that have managed to go completely astray.  Somehow I have more lids than markers, but still can’t seem to match them all up.  Like keeping track of the random socks that disappear in the infinite loads of laundry (and the even more random ones that show up without a buddy, hide behind the dryer for years, or take off to unknown lands), this activity feels a little redundant.

And yet, here I am at almost midnight on a Saturday, attempting to declutter my craft bin and my mind.  The holidays are upon us, Christmas is officially in the ‘teens’ on our countdown calendar, and if I don’t clear out the stock now, I know I’ll be drowning in fresh supplies once Santa makes his yearly stop/toy dump.

But as I sit here, half delirious and entirely annoyed at these mismatched markers, a thought crosses my mind.  What’s stopping my kids from ‘cleaning’ this themselves?

Well…I guess I am.

As Mom-in-Charge, I’m the designated craft captain.  The leader of play.  The keeper of the crayons.  And let’s be honest, sometimes we’re leading the way, and other times (a.k.a now) we’re treading water just trying to stay afloat.  That’s where I am tonight, but it’s definitely not where I want to be. 

So I’m making a conscious, adult decision.  I’m not cleaning up these markers.

And after this, I’m not tidying the kids’ toy kitchen either.  I still have my own kitchen to deal with tonight, and there’s only so much one exhausted woman can handle.

So here’s the plan:

Tomorrow morning, each kiddo is coming downstairs to a colorful paper party cup (because…fun, right?).  Whoever can match up the most markers with their respective colored lids in their cup gets to choose what we play.  It’s play, but with purpose. 

But I’m taking it a step further, because I am not risking someone choosing Play-Doh or finger painting at 7:30 a.m.  I’m grabbing a third cup and jotting down five mom-approved play options they can draw from.  Because guess what?  I’m already exhausted.  Evening Mom is simply doing her best to support Morning Mom, and if narrowing down the choices means I get to drink my (probably second) coffee in relative peace, then so be it.

Options include building a spaceship with Magnatiles, opening a restaurant, or holding a competition for who can make the silliest Mr. Potato Head.  All things that don’t require scrubbing dried paint off the kitchen table. 

And while I enjoy my hot beverage, I’ll take comfort in knowing I’ve set my kids up for a morning of actual learning.

A color-matching, motor-skill-building, coordination game that just happens to take a chore off my own plate.  A little challenge with an element of surprise.  And a secretly curated menu of playtime ideas that spark imagination without destroying my kitchen.

And what did that take?

Three party cups.

So I’m closing the craft bin, abandoning the lids that still have no matches, going to bed, and hoping for the best.  Because if moms know one universal truth, it’s that things rarely go as planned anyway.  But tonight, I had good intentions and very little energy. Tomorrow, we’ll see how it goes.

MORNING UPDATE:

All markers have lids.

Some do not match.

The kids have built a Magnatile rocket ship and Buzz Lightyear is currently en route to space.  I’m supervising.  Caffeine has been acquired.

I’m considering this a mom win.