Notes from the Trenches

I have done very little this week. I haven't driven anywhere. I did leave the house a couple times, once for Choral Union rehearsal the other night (my friend was driving), once for my final ab/core class (walking distance), and another time to take somewhat sick kids to a little family arts night (rode the bus).  I've been in the house all week, wiping lots of noses (well, the same 2 noses, just an awful lot of wiping) and snuggling my babies the last couple of days.

So now we are on Thursday, which is basically over. And I feel really behind on lots of things, even though there isn't anything that really needed doing this week. Jacob voted no on going to playschool today. No one got dressed.  No one showered (ahem). Meals required little or no thought whatsoever. I picked up the toys a couple times only because I was tired of stepping on cars. Rebecca went down early for her nap. Jacob did not take a nap. Jacob tried to go potty 3 times in the bathroom, aside from all the other times he was successful on his own. This means I spent a lot of time reading and making up stories while sitting on the side of the tub. I talked to him about getting prune juice to help him out a little. He said he wants apple instead.  I told him I'd prefer apple juice as well. We watched Bob the Builder together on the couch. He checked on Rebecca several times. She slept almost 4 hours.  Both kids ate a grand total of about 3 bites at dinner.  Jeff had to proctor an exam tonight so we ate early with him and then I put the kids in bed at 6:40.

My house is very still and quiet right now. There are plenty of toys still on the floor. I haven't wiped the table off yet from dinnertime and I certainly haven't touched any dishes today. I have laundry from either Monday or Tuesday that I still haven't folded and put away yet. I suppose I could sit at my computer and dwell on all of this "nothing" that I did today.  But I figured it would be more productive and self-caring to sit here and try to find the little positives from my day and week.  So here it goes:

- Somewhere in all the chaos today I finished reading The Friendly Persuasion by Jessamyn West and I really liked it. The movie is very different than the book; I like them both. Gary Cooper is in the film, of course it's good!
- I sat on the couch a lot with the kids today and had a heating pad on for a chunk of my day. My back feels great!
- We started reading a new book tonight that I got for a quarter the other day. Pippi Longstocking. It was fun to hear the kids try to say her name.  "Oh, her name sounds like Woodstock," Jacob said. As in Snoopy's bird friend.
- Jacob, distraught, reminded me to read scriptures while I was reading PL. (normally we read books after scriptures at bedtime so I think he thought I'd forgotten)
- Jacob pointed at pictures in the Children's Songbook and asked me to sing and/or play them for him. This is a relatively new game we play. I started singing "I believe in being honest, I believe in being true..." and he said, "Oh!!  That's just another Article of Faith!"  Close!
- Jacob likes to sing the first three Articles of Faith at random times.
- I swept the floor. In part of the house, at least.
- Playing sit up games with both the kids. At the same time. I give Jeff credit for inventing such a game.

- Jacob and Rebecca talking about the place Aunt Erin had her job interview this morning: Don's Johns.   

"Mom,  can I just hold Rebecca?" He has asked this several times this week. It is so funny to see it. (Especially in this picture since he has no pants on.)

There are other things I could mention, but the reality of it is that even when days and hours seem really, really long and tiring, I come up for air and it's nearly the end of the week. Nearly the end of the month. My baby is almost 2. My other baby is almost 3 1/2. It all goes by so fast and I hope my kids know that when they felt pretty yucky on a gray day or 3 in Michigan's generally gray winter, that I did my best to be happy and love them a little more.

While I was helping Jacob get suited up to play outside one day, I caught Rebecca plopped down on the couch trying to put her snow suit on by herself.  

So here's to doing our best, moms!  Keep up the good work and thanks to many of you out there who are such great examples to me.