Happy Catastrophes

Corynn was working on math functions. Andrew was sounding things out-both were calling "I need help Mama."

Adele' brings over a phonics workbook that she has deemed HER schoolwork, though she can barely draw a straight line, let alone a letter.

Judah was, as usual, flying from one room to another leaving devastation in his wake.

I had been doing laundry all day long, still trying to catch up from the hissy fit the washing machine threw the other day and hoped to have it all folded and put away before I went to bed. But at that moment I thought "It will be a miracle if I can muster accomplishing ANYTHING but school today."

As is usually the case on my great laundry marathons, I watch a movie after the kids go to bed while I fold a hundred baskets of clean laundry and in preparation of these such evenings, I always try to vacuum the rug beforehand.

Making sure the clean clothes stay clean and all that.

I help the kids and for a moment, all is silent.

I grab the vacuum and begin vacuuming. Only-it is all appearing MORE dusty and dirty than ever. Even the air turns thick. The red tug has turned grayish. WEIRD.

I turn the vacuum over and see not a thing wrong, except an empty canister where nastiness should have been.

I flip it over again and scatter. pilfer. CLUNK. A HUGE pile of dirt falls to the rug.

ugh.

Well, the vacuum is broken. Dirt is everywhere. And of all days, I didn't have TIME for this.

I rolled the rug up and put it on our front porch. I put the vacuum out there too.

Then I got the broom and swept.

When one room was swept, I couldn't help noticing the dining room floor that had been neglected for two weeks. And after that-I saw the school room where Judah had just scattered petals and stems around the room from the dried flowers I had there.

Might as well sweep there too.

Then, I got out the mop to mop the last of the miniscule dust that hangs out on wooden floors under area rugs.

But since I had the mop out, wouldn't the dining room floor look nice freshly mopped too?

And the school room had some marker marks on the floor....

And so it went.

Until the whole downstairs was spiffy and fresh; on a day when I could barely think straight just moments before the chaos had happened.

It was like the proverbial oil vessel of which never did run out. Only it wasn't oil, it was time.

Gotta love it when unplanned problems turn into unplanned solutions.

Didn't plan on the vacuum breaking but neither did I plan on having a squeaky clean downstairs....

and that was a mighty nice surprise.