Time

I read other people's blogs . . . a lot. There are three that I have bookmarked and check every day. One is written by a woman in Utah. She is Mormon. She is a mother of four. She is also a survivor. She and her husband were in a horrible plane crash about two years ago and they survived. They were badly burned and she writes about that ordeal frequently, but most importantly, they survived. I was reading her blog tonight and she put into words something I have felt on a regular basis . . . "I never want to be too busy for my kids."

Bennett was feeling kind of crummy today. I don't know if it's a reaction to the innoculations he got at the doctor yesterday (flu and HIB) or maybe he's cutting a molar or two, or maybe he caught a bug from one of our playgroups. The general mood around here today was crankosaurus. There were dishes in the sink from last night, dishes piled on the stove from making apple bread. There were crumbs on the floor. Toys were spewed all over the room . . . but my baby needed me. I sat on the floor with him and played. We went outside to dig in the dirt. That meant that he got to take a bath at noon! Then we went for a drive.

I was exhausted by the time his afternoon nap rolled around. He was too. But he was still feeling pretty crummy. No time for me to finish whatever job applications I was working on (or that game of Bejeweled, if I'm being honest with you!) . . . I got to spend twenty minutes with my sleeping son on my chest. He fidgeted, he cried, he wrestled, but he finally fell asleep.

The point is this - I lamented the fact that I couldn't get those dishes washed before Brian came home. I wanted to have a clean house for him. I wanted to be able to present him with a fully cooked meal that was on the table ready for all three of us to eat together. I've had to give up those wishes for now. Because I'd much rather play with my son. I hate it when I look down at him clinging to my leg and tell him he has to wait a minute (even though I know it's good for him). When he's in a bad mood, there is no waiting a minute. Nothing works like mama's cuddles. Thank goodness! "I can't ever be too busy for my kids."