Morning Missionaries

Ever heard the joke about the Elder who got confused and said to the lady when she opened her door; "Good Mormon, I'm a morning missionary?"

Traditionally, my response would have been "I'm sorry, but I don't do mornings."

That being said, I have now been up at 6:30 two mornings in a row making a nice breakfast for the family. I blame it on the baby. When the baby is hungry, I gotta eat- and so I might as well make enough for everyone.

Of course the opposite and equal reaction to this effect is that I want to be left utterly and completely alone by 10pm and then end up eating a midnight snack ( halfway through brushing my teeth). My kids don't like it when I lock the doors and take a long bath at 10 pm. They all seem to think that Mommy doesn't deserve time off and that help getting dressed can only happen by one certified by the Mommy Board.

So even though I tried to stay in the bathtub until all were asleep, they refused to go asleep until I could all help them with their issues. And I truly think when it comes to it that being a morning person is truely dependant on the amount (and quality) of sleep one gets the night before.

That being said, I am enchanted by the stories of Amish farm wives who get their houses scrubbed, have laundry on the line, and then manage to have a baby, all before noon. I am enchanted by the stories of how carfully they care for thier land and thier families and how life and all the decisions on which technology to use is based on how it will influence family life. Here we seem to base those decisions on trial and error rather then thinking them out before hand.

We have said no to TV (although we watch a lot of DVDs), and we say no to video games, but yes to a washer and dryer. We wash an average of 10 loads of sheets per week around here and without those tools this house would stink due to some special medical issues.

In many ways I want to become more like the Amish. I want to learn to take care of my stuff carefully, to be connected with my land, to have everything neat and tidy and look forward to the work of everyday items as the breath of life.

Many of these changes are very hard coming from a society in which we are taught to throw away and buy new on credit or the economy will crash and you will loose your jobs. But the change, no matter how hard is not only good for us, but probably essential.