But I'm really sick!

"What do you want for breakfast?" I ask Youngest. "Crispix" he mumbles with his head on the table. Trying to be cheerful and motivating, I fix his bowl, give him a quick kiss on the forehead as I ruffle his blond sleep tussled hair on my way to the shower. "Maybe we can get done early with school and you'll have time to play!" Getting a shower is a blessed thing around here. Most mornings (I'm sure I'm not the only Mom to confess this) I don't even get one. I'm secretly convinced that a mother was the inventor of deodorant and perfume and lotions. I just hope that makeup and some smelly stuff will mask the way I feel. Over the waterfall of warm water, I hear a muffled "mumble, mumble" and a knocking on the door. *sigh* "Wait!" I holler while shutting off the water and grabbing the towel. *This had better be good* I thought. When the kids were much younger, I was in the shower and they banged on the door to let me know that they let the Terminix man in to treat the house. I locked the front door after that and gave a lecture after that one! As I opened the door, I saw him, humped over with his hands to his mouth. "I puked!" *good grief! Did he have to go all the way through the house to tell me that?!!!!* Thankfully it wasn't bad and I chalked it up to a bad gag reflex he has. Finally it's lunch time, with 3 subjects left, he is wearing his coat because he's cold. Now before you start thinking I'm totally clueless, I'm very cold natured and our bedroom is the coldest in the house. What finally clued me in was he wanted to take a nap... ahhhh! Lightbulb goes on in my head... Final verdict - 103º and the rest of the day was spent in bed listening to Adventures in Odyssey takes and taking naps. Call me clueless, but no one has been sick in our house and I thought he was trying to get out of the rest of school work! "Lord, may you give me grace as I am constantly learning about how to be a good mom. I blew it today!" Needless to say, I stayed up with him last night and rocked him until he said (waking me from a slumber) "Mom, can I watch Batman cartoons, this home decorating stuff is boring."

What I wished for

It was one of those days for me and, during one of the 5 trips I made into Ft. Smith, I actually met myself on the road going the other direction. I think I needed a nap ºÜº. Kids finished up work camp, Connor went to the Dr. about a cough he's had for a few weeks, ended up getting an x-ray (thankfully it came back okay), Buddy got a shave, pedicure, and shampoo. Me??? I didn't get a shampoo, shave, or pedicure... but that is probably more than you wanted to know. A friend and I were talking today - mostly about life in general. In the midst of wondering and conversations I asked her if, back when we were younger, we knew what we were wishing for? I always wanted to be "a really good mom" but did I realize what I was wishing for - and if I knew exactly what I was wishing for, would I wish for what I was wishing for? Yes, but I had no idea how hard it would be or how much it would change me. Do I regret getting what I wished for - no. There are some things that I would change - but that is hindsight. I have a tile sitting in my kitchen window that about sums it up for me:

"I long to accomplish

great and noble tasks,

but it is my chief duty

and joy to accomplish

humble tasks as though

they were great and noble."

Helen Keller