Remember the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felecia Bond? It is a beloved childhood book about what all a mouse will want if said mouse is offered a cookie. In my Junior American Lit class, I often compare this book to “A Pair of Silk Stockings” by Kate Chopin. The characters, items, and settings might be different, but the general idea of how one action becomes a catalyst for another action followed by another action is the same. I’m sure fine literary critics would this statement abhorring, but it helps make 19th century literature relevant to 11th graders.
This morning at 4 am, which I’ve noticed is the time a lot of revelations currently come, I realized that a lot of how my brain works is like that of the mouse’s brain in the book. The catalyst this evening was a storm with very strong winds. Here’s how the brain started flowing from that catalyst:
- Storming so loud I wake up
- Look at Fitbit
- Time to pump
- Baby is stirring, nurse him a little
- Go to the bathroom
- Pump other boob
- Play games to stay awake while pumping (I’ve fallen asleep pumping, and it’s not pleasant.)
- Kick some Dr Mario butt!
- Take milk downstairs to fridge
- Decide to wash pump parts
- Realize yesterday’s pump parts need to be cleaned
- Wash them all and sterilize
- Contemplate going out in the rain at 4 am to see if any outdoor items have blown away
- Decide this is a bad plan because it’s 4 am, and I don’t want anyone calling the cops because it looks like I’m robbing my own house
- While sterilizing is going on, put away clean dishes from dishwasher
- Consider putting dish towels in washer, but don’t because of the storm
- Think about going outside again, but realize I shouldn’t go out and get pneumonia over some lawn ornaments
- Reload dishwasher
- Take out sterilized pump parts and put on drying rack
- Again, consider putting dish towels in washer, but don’t because of the storm
- Realize I’m hungry
- Think about a snack, but it’s weight check day
- Think about weighing now so a snack can be had
- Decide to skip snack and weigh later
- Get clothes out of dryer
- Once more…consider putting dish towels in washer, but don’t because of the storm
- Start up the stairs while thinking about how this series of events is like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
- Decide to blog about my thought process
Did you follow all that? I know it’s a lot to process! Is that how anyone else’s brain works? Does anyone else ever feel like that poor little mouse? (I mean sometimes I just want a cookie too, but no dairy so…) Maybe part of being a mommy is having a million different thoughts at the same time! I guess at some point you have to learn to turn the brain off and go back to bed. You have to learn to just be satisfied with the cookie.
Until the next 4 am revelation!
XOXO,
The Great Kaysby
PS: FYI…still thinking about the lawn ornaments!
The Great Kaysby 