Well the warm fuzzy calmness of yesterday’s post gives way to Monday morning madness. At least, the Monday morning reality for many of us with kids! From not being able to find the mate to a soccer shoe, to forgetting to put sunscreen on your child before you dropped him off on the field, and then running all over town to buy sunscreen along with a new pair of soccer shoes, returning to the soccer field, traipsing across hill and valley to find your son in a sea of little people all wearing the same uniform, applying the sunscreen and new shoes, and then realizing you don’t have time to return home before soccer camp is over, life gets crazy! Insanely crazy sometimes.

Can you relate? Whether it is kids or some other chaos or deadlines in your life, we can feel a little looney sometimes trying to manage it all.

I think that happens more often than I’d like to admit, especially following a day where I ignored my To-Do list!

I love this quote:

Knowing your purpose simplifies your life. It defines what you do and what you don’t do. Your purpose becomes the standard you use to evaluate which activities are essential and which aren’t.

–Rick Warren, The Purpose-Driven Life

As a mom of three, a decorating consultant, business owner, a wife, a homemaker, a friend, a blogger and more, I find it hard to keep all the plates spinning and not crashing to the floor in a loud clang of pottery and china. I get so much going on, good things, that I can only just dabble in all of them. That frustrates me. I dream about completed projects, amazing creativity, leisurely moments on some frivolous pursuit, but the reality is, I have to focus on what matters in this season of my life. It’s not all about ME right now. I have to keep all the essential plates spinning in the air and sometimes that means not everything is done to perfection. Remembering my purpose gives me clarity when I feel like I am not able to keep up. And it can help me let go of really unnecessary things that make life busier than it needs to be.

So today is about the reality of life. Monday mornings. I didn’t get to share my favorite decorating tips or write about clever storage items, because today, my time went to more important things: a little boy who needed shoes and sunscreen and a morning at soccer camp. And now, I must do my work, clean my house, go to the bank, pay some bills, do more work … well, you get the idea. There is always tomorrow!

Happy Monday! Thanks to everyone who has so kindly been leaving me notes of encouragement and friendly “hellos”! You always bring a smile to my face!