Getting Back to Normal...

I remember when our third child was born. We had been blessed with two children already, the oldest, a girl and then a boy. And although we had challenges, the whole parenting thing seemed to be going pretty well. And then we had our third child, a son, and suddenly we were outnumbered. And it seemed life changed in a big way.

In the days following his birth, I remember thinking everything will be fine as soon as "we get back to normal." Well, that was May 2001 and it has not happened yet! As I think about it, I don't think "normal" ever really existed, except perhaps in my mind. Since then, I feel like most days I am just managing the challenging, chaotic, fun, educational, loving, sometimes maddening, experiences that define my life!

Why is it we desire to "be normal?" When you are a kid, you want to be normal like all the other kids. When you get older, you want to be normal like everyone else... Seriously, who is really normal? Didn't a comedian once say, "normal is a setting on your dishwasher." What does normal really mean anyway?

Normal can have different meanings. I think I tend to define normal as "having a plan and following it." I am a person who likes structure and schedules and plans that are executed as planned. But in reality, since I have five children, this never really happens. And when I think it has happened, I am most likely just kidding myself or in a deep delusion.

So after this week's snow storm and the husband being home from work yesterday (which is so not normal) I feel like today is the day to get back on track with that plan, stay on schedule and have that elusive structure... Oh wait, we have a field trip today. That will throw everything off. Okay, then tomorrow.... Tomorrow, we will get back to normal...