Moldy Pizza

My house always smells. If it's not from a poopy diaper it's from food that has been buried like secret treasure by my three little pirates for me to try to find without a map to guide me. 

I normally have a candle lit and my house is filled with scents that make people wonder if I went on a baking spree. I'm sure they would rather smell pumpkin lattes, apple ciders, or blueberry cobblers instead of, well, you know . . .

So the other day I was serving peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch, when I noticed something fuzzy poking out from under my son's highchair table top. You see, this highchair is a deluxe model that comes with cup holders. Some may think that's cool -- I think it's a pain! I am constantly finding something new in there . . . Anyways, I saw something fuzzy creeping out of the cup holder, and for once in my life I was hoping it was a fuzzy spider or something other than fuzzy, moldy, stinky food. 

I slowly opened the cup holder, and what did I find - moldy pizza. A slice of Red Baron's supreme pizza to be exact. 

Ah, motherhood!

When I was a teenager and daydreaming about being a mom, I imagined myself taking my kids to parks, going on picnics, enjoying dinners around the table. I imagined my life would be perfect like the families you see in movies or in Norman Rockwell pictures. I never once imagined I would be pooped on, puked on, or find moldy food on a daily basis. 

Life is stressful. Being a mom can make one feel like they are losing their mind! I know I'm not the only one who has felt overwhelmed and sleep deprived. But I wouldn't change it for the world! I do not want to live life without my children climbing all over me like I am a jungle gym. 

Some days, like yesterday, I complain to my husband and ask what I'm doing wrong. Why don't they listen? Am I invisible? Do they even like me? He needs to call the "waa-mbulence" already!

When I opened the cup holder and was greeted by that horrid piece of pizza, I just stood there. I asked myself this:

You have two choices. You can get mad and blow your top . . . or you can smile, shake your head, and think about the day you will miss finding such surprises.

One day all four of my kids will grow up and move away from home. I will not have rotting food hiding around the house waiting to surprise me. I won't have the smudges on my windows from dirty hands waiting for their Daddy to get home from work. I won't have toys on the floor for me to step on in the middle of the night when I'm checking on my babies. One day my house will be quiet. I have a feeling I won't look forward to that quiet like I think I do now.

So how did I handle the moldy pizza? I shook my head and smiled while I put gloves and goggles on to remove the hazardous food. My kids are crazy. I'm crazy! I'm crazy-happy.