Plan B

My SIL, Laura, had her first baby two months ago.  She worked so hard to put together a cute nursery based on this inspiration:

She sanded and painted everything from walls to furniture to frames. Chad and I went up a few times to help her out.  (Chad has mad cutting-in-ceiling-painting skills and I know how to complicate paint color like no other.)  Chad hung a beautiful chandelier for her too.  The nursery was coming together.

Well, finally the day came to move the painted crib, dresser, and rocker up to the nursery… and… it didn’t fit.  The furniture was too big for the space and the layout didn’t work out as planned (or at least it wasn’t as perfect in real life as it was in my SIL’s head).  She was so bummed and disappointed.  We tried a few different furniture layout combinations but it just wasn’t going to be perfect.

I was bummed with her because I like a perfect room as much as the next guy, but then I got to thinking…

“Welcome to Parenting”.  It rarely goes like you plan.

Take our Thanksgiving for example.  We had planned to go to Boise to be with my whole family.  We were excited to see cousins we hadn’t seen for awhile.  We had a turkey bowl, turkey trot, shopping, and big time eating all planned.  Then Crew threw up the day before we were supposed to leave and we opted not to take the flu on the road.  We stayed home and had our own little Thanksgiving with just my husband and my kids.

Chad cooked the turkey (and almost everything else.)  I attempted gravy.

We did our best to set a nice table.

And we even pulled off little name place holders.  Elle stamped our names on tags

and she attached them to leaves.

Overall, our dinner was nice, but we still would have preferred to be in Boise having a great time with everyone else.

But parenting is so often about the Plan Bs. You might have this great vision for Christmas morning, a birthday party, a family night lesson, a day at the park, a future career in sports, or a family meal and something goes wrong.  Someone goes ahead and gets sick, or complains, or cries, or fights, or hates it, or says no, and you are on to Plan B.

The trick is to take it in stride and make do with what comes your way.  The nursery disappointment was just warming Laura up for the real trenches of  parenting because now she is facing a more significant Plan B with her little baby.  Good luck to Laura and all us moms as we learn to deal and adapt with all our Plan Bs.

4 thoughts on “Plan B”

  1. I love it when things work out as planned! I think just as often, Plan B comes into play. Looking back at many of those “Plan B Moments”, I realize that is where a lot of my learning and growth has come. Plan B has even been known to be the better plan, in the end. Like you have said in previous posts, trying to look at the good side of things is a big help. Thanks for the reminder.

    ps…My one-word theme for 2012–STRENGTH. Excited for the possibilities!

  2. I think I had the perfect Christmas once. It is always in mom’s head way different than dad and the kids. Remember the year we had no power in the bitter cold of Wyoming for Christmas Eve? Needless to say bologna sandwiches on Christmas Eve wasn’t a hit. I am still waiting for the gift I have asked for for 43 years–can everyone please just be nice all at once?

  3. I needed this post more than ever today. Plan B isn’t our number one choice (OBVIOUSLY) but I am learning that Plan B isn’t a bad plan…it might even be the better plan for me. So, THANK YOU for helping me be okay with “Plan B.”

  4. I love this! We totally know about plan B here at the Turner house. But I also totally believe in it. And Laura, Jett’s nursery furniture didn’t fit perfectly either. In fact, the room still isn’t done, so I totally understand 🙂

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