This morning my alarm clock went off as its usual time. Now let me clarify what my alarm clock sounds like. It sounds like exactly what it is. A squwaking toddler alerting me to the fact that she is indeed awake and will squwak until I come to retrieve her. I laid in bed thinking about the usual routine that would happen.

Turn the light on in my daughter’s room and say good morning. Run down to let the dogs out while my daughter yells at me for leaving her. Run back upstairs get her out of her crib. Let the dogs in. Feed the dogs. Try to decipher what my toddler wants for breakfast between head nods and yells of frustration. Throw my hair back, wash my face, get in my gym clothes, quickly dress my toddler (which isn’t really quick) and rush out the door to the gym. Then I thought what if we just go to the gym later today.

What if I sit on the couch and enjoy my coffee. Enjoy watching my daugther play for awhile instead of scurrying her out the door with me. Because we have years and years ahead of us of rushed mornings and routines. Right now she’s little and full of curiousity and mischief and I want to soak in as much of it as I can. So it’s okay to alter the routine for a day.

Alter it we did. We took our time. I actually enjoyed my coffee. My daughter, much to her amazement got to eat her cheerios on our bed. And jump up down on it. And more mischief followed…dumping out the entire box of qtips, followed twenty minutes later by dumping an entire box of cheddar shark crackers on the coffee table. Toddlers are fast, and sneaky. And my dogs are even faster when it comes to crackers being dumped out all over the place. Routine is good for us, but every once in awhile we need to slow down and change it up a bit. A little bit of refrehsment for our souls, minds and bodies.