Yep, it was Monday. The morning routine ^[2] worked perfectly with Mr. 8 and Miss 6 off to school. Ran a few errands with Miss 3 and dropped her off for a day with Grandpa and Grandma. Ah, a morning to catch up and prepare for our dinner guests this evening.

In starting my week with a manageable plan ^[3], I was ready to conquer my downstairs, catch up on e-mail, and write a blog post or two. With the morning and part of the afternoon alone, I was getting in my groove.

Made the pan éclairs ^[4] for dessert, switched the laundry, and chatted with my mother on the phone. All was going well and I was getting items marked off my To Do list when  . . . Murphy’s Law entered the picture.

The adage termed Murphy’s Law states: “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” As it usually does, my “anything” started with a phone call. Mr. 8’s teacher calling with the news that the power went out at the school and pickup was now at noon.

The Inciting Incident

What? No! How am I going to get everything done? Oh, the questions spun in my head as I grabbed my purse and headed out the door.

As I tried to recreate the rest of my day, I realized that I wasn’t going to get it all done, so I was going to have to adapt, adjust, and remain flexible as life just happened.

When I arrived, the car line was a mess. The noon dismissal individuals have a different pickup procedure than the full-day students resulting a parking lot disaster. Choosing to just park and get Miss 6, I found her very upset as she missed P.E. and recess due to the power outage. Then after getting Mr. 8, he was begging to play in the gym – again, no power.

The Detour

Well, the power was off in that entire section of town, so what’s a mom to do when her kids need some exercise? We improvised – ending up at Chick-fil-A for lunch. As I see my day fading away, I rearranged my priorities. These young ones needed a break. They had been without air conditioning, were hot and hungry, and needed a place to play.

The Hurdle

After eating and playing, we had to get home. Wanting to get homework done before dinner, we started. Well, what they missed in class ended up coming home. The whole afternoon was shot as we worked on homework until 4:30 p.m.

The Climb

As I looked at the clock and realized that our guests would arrive in 1.5 hours, I felt overwhelmed. Laundry had not been finished, the kitchen was a mess, dinner needed making, and the bathroom could use a wipe down. In using time wisely, I adjusted and focused only on what had to be done and skipped the extras.

The Team

Rallying the troops, I explained how today turned out differently than expected for all of us. Using this opportunity to teach my children, we worked together. They finished their task and came to ask what else was needed. Miss 6 wore out quickly, but Mr. 8 was a huge help from wiping down the sink and toilet with disinfecting wipes ^[5] to moving the dining room chairs and running the upstairs items to my bedroom.

The Finish Line

With a 6:00 p.m. deadline, we worked all the way up to the sound of the doorbell. I had just finished cleaning the inside of the toilet when our guests arrived. Whew! It was a day. Dinner of Chicago-style stuffed pizza from Papa Murphy’s ^[6], cheese sticks, and salad along with pan eclairs for dessert was great, and our guests enjoyed hearing how Murphy’s Law Strikes Back.

Life will happen. Though I include extra time into our daily routines, sometimes shortcuts need to occur. I will end up going back to clean the bathroom and put away the clothes and the other items stashed in my bedroom. But in using time wisely, making adjustments is part of the journey.

To be honest, the day I had planned lacked excitement and adventure, but the day turned out so differently – and better. I got to hang out with my older two alone, enjoy a lunch outing, and our house was presentable for our dinner guests, who never would have known how quickly we adjusted.

As Murphy’s Law strikes back at your house, which will happen, try to roll with the punches and find the silver lining. Laugh lots, stay flexible, keep with the detours and the hurdles, and embrace the change of scenery. Happy navigating on this journey of using time wisely!

Question: How do you adjust when Murphy’s Law strikes back?