So, many years ago I heard a friend's mom say that the top of your fridge shows how messy your life is. She also said that your fridge should always stay cleared off with no magnets and such on it. I don't know why I allow such simple "you should" comments to stay with me and allow someone else's standards make me feel pressured to live my life their way. My friend's mom did not have small kids. Sometimes my sister, Karen, likes to come and move my stuff to the side of the fridge that is less visible. This is what my fridge looks like.
Do you know how much I am at my fridge? A LOT! And how much I am in my kitchen? A WHOLE LOT! This fridge holds many items on the top that I want to keep my kids away from, but that I can get to very quick. The top of the fridge is PERFECT for those type items. Those overflowing baskets hold all sorts of crayons, markers, play dough, and other arts and crafts items that I just don't want a 2 year old to have access to 24/7. The front of the fridge has calendars for the kids' schools so that I don't forget library and "show and tell" days. It also has an adorable card that my sister, Amy, drew for my birthday. It is hilarious and make me smile when I see it. The side of the fridge has my visiting teaching assignment, and a nice quote about service (I think. I need to re-read it. But I know I like it and I keep it there to be remembered...b/c I obviously forget). It has my all important shopping list, bc heaven forbid I forget something when I make my trip to the store. It also has my church-key can opener/magnet. It's just where I keep it. It is a small kitchen tool and I like to know it's on the fridge versus at the bottom of some drawer when I need it. The other side of the fridge has our "Johnson Dollar" reward system. Did I blog about that? I should. It's cute.
So, my thought for the day is that I think it is ok to have a messy fridge. It is not indicative of a messy life. My house is actually pretty clean right now. This messy fridge is indicative of a busy mom with 4 small children who is trying to survive. It shows that I care about my kids, their school, my church, and my family.
One day, I will be just like my friend's mom. I will have a clean fridge. I may even be judgemental of someone else's messy fridge (I hope not). But I bet that when that day comes, I will also look back and miss this time in my life. I'll take the craziness.....and boy is it crazy. I could write a few posts just about my day today. It is up there with one of the worst ever.
I often look at that mess and I feel like I am looking at my fridge through that lady's eyes and feel embarrassed, but as of today, I am changing that. I am going to accept and love my fridge bc it serves many purposes for me.
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