Life With Boys

If you've ever raised children, boys in particular, you might be sympathetic to my plight of trying to keep a house both beautiful and orderly. My soul needs the beauty, and my emotional health needs the order. So at the end of each day while Nathanael reads to the boys, I scurry around to collect errant toys, clean gunky surfaces, return pictures and table decorations, once symmetrical, to their proper, perfect place. (Don't get me wrong! I definitely have my cluttered hideouts, but at day's end, the living room, toy room, and kitchen must be tidy.)

As for beauty, I have slowly over the years procured artwork and other decorative items that make my soul smile and help me to breathe deeply during hectic days. I feel better just seeing them. Two weeks ago at the Dutch festival, I bought two gorgeous candleholders in traditional blue and white porcelain that now reside on a living room table. So, imagine my frustration when I sat down ready for an evening of relaxation after the boys and toys had been tucked away and looked up to see this . . .





. . . little Lego men camping out in my candle holders! SIGH. Since having children, I've found many toys in strange places, often in the toilet, but this one just made me laugh--such a boy thing! I'm not sure what the candle holders were supposed to be in their Lego playland, but no doubt, something absolutely necessary for the enjoyment of their game. Ah, life with boys! I love it!