Breaking the rules

I've written a lot of posts about routine and organization, but I have to say that sometimes you just have to break the rules. The other day Daisy was having a hard time settling down to sleep. I've read the research and seen the results of letting babies learn to put themselves to sleep, but I couldn't resist. She's so adorable. She puts her cheek next to mine and says, "ahhh" then grins at me. We snuggled in bed then I took her back to her own when she was snoring. Moments like these are so precious that I'd be missing out if I didn't follow my heart.

My husband is a lot better at throwing routine aside and having fun with the kids. He'll take them outside to ride bikes when it's just about bed time. He'll sit up late reading with them because they're all hooked in the story. Or he'll sit for hours at the table teaching Joshua statistics (if you can count that as fun, they do). My favorite times for him to break from our routine is when he gets out his guitar and plays for us or crowds with the children around the piano and plays while we all sing. Just writing about it pulls at my heart strings. These small moments of pure joy are what makes being a mom the best job in the world and I sure wouldn't want to pass them by because I'm too down to business. Sometimes the kids are overtired the next day from staying up too late or we don't get the dishes washed right after dinner, but life goes on and things get back to "normal" (if there is such a thing). Occasionally, veering from routine is just what everyone needs- after all, aren't rules made to be broken!