It’s a wine sort of a night.

As soon as my husband got home, I handed over the dinner I’d made (2 separate dinners to avoid the usual twin toddlers throwing everything I cook for them straight on the floor), and went upstairs to be alone. It was a normal but rough day.

I’d had a whole 3 minutes before my 3-year-old came up and slowly moused into my room where I was rocking myself quietly in a rocking chair.

Do you want me to snuggle you, Mommy?

Yes. Yes, I do, Julia. She climbed up and lay down on me and my blood pressure dropped. Until she immediately got up, saying there was too much noise coming from “her babies” downstairs. Closed door. Ran back and resumed position.

Some days, the monotony of caring for small children is mind-numbing. Those days, I find myself pondering the logistics involved if I were to pick up a job at In ‘n Out. Or Six Flags. Or the dry cleaner’s. Any job where I wouldn’t constantly be putting out fires, changing 16 diapers a day, getting constant requests as soon as my little people spot me (why do others not get the same immediate response when they enter the room?), and intervening in yet another fight about what? Everyone wanting to sit in the empty diaper box. Boxes. We should really buy stock in them.

Those days I could use a change in the routine.

I vented to a couple of girlfriends, and they encouraged me to take a little time away from it all. As soon as he got home, Paul took over dinner and bedtime prep with the kids while I made two quick Miss Whisk deliveries in my neighborhood. As I handed a bag of cookies to one of my customers, she empathized with me about the grueling days of raising small children, the need for time to breathe. Alone. She reminded me that we are in the thick of it with our kids at these ages. And she smiled and we laughed.

Sometimes a smile or a shared laugh has a ripple effect of which we might never be aware. My grandma always said, “Smile more. You never know how it might help someone.”

I’d originally planned with Paul that I’d drive around for a little bit to just get some fresh air and silence, free of constant toddler demands (many of which make NO SENSE!). But that one encounter with a stranger energized me. The change in routine rejuvenated me. The encouragement of my girlfriends got me to do something about the rut in which I found myself.

I came back home after only 10 minutes.

“The grass is always greener” is a poisonous mentality. Yet we all do it. It’s somewhat natural to compare our lifestyles and challenges to the rosy mirage of others’ lives. At the risk of sounding morose, I’ve been attempting the practice lately of imagining that others are dealing with their own “stuff,” their own struggles. My sister-in-law and beloved confidant reminds me of situations she encounters through the lives of her patients. These tiny voices that won’t stop? There are those who wish they could hear their baby’s whining just one more time. Gratitude works.

So all this rambling to say, I’m going to re-read this post on these more challenging days to remind myself of a good formula to get out of the rut (or begin to): confide in trusted friends, smile at strangers, change your routine–if only for ten minutes–and be grateful for what you do have. Also: wine.

And for all of you who’ve made it this far in my post, you get a 30% off a Dessert Bar item or 10% off a cake. Just mention this post when you place an order! Www.misswhiskbakery.com/orders

Have a lovely weekend.

~Miss Whisk