A Day in the Life

I've had a lot on my mind and so much I want to write about and capture, yet the demands of my life, my health (sure wish I didn't still need a nap every day!), and my family prevent me from writing everything.

I read this yesterday and it resonated with how I feel about my kids growing up:

Even now, time is clearly not our natural dimension. Thus it is that we are never really at home in time. Alternately, we find ourselves impatiently wishing to hasten the passage of time or to hold back the dawn. We can do neither, of course. Whereas the bird is at home in the air, we are clearly not at home in time—because we belong to eternity. Time, as much as any one thing, whispers to us that we are strangers here. If time were natural to us, why is it that we have so many clocks and wear wristwatches?  (Neal A. Maxwell, Patience)


So much of my life feels the same from day to day and yet the years are short and I let too much slip me by without really appreciating it.  One of the best parts about being a mother is creating relationships with unique and precious individuals.  Just yesterday, I had these simple, fun, instructive, and wonderful moments:

* Cami laughs at me when I do yoga, contorts herself to imitate me, and climbs on me when I'm trying to do some poses.

* Harmony learned a fun song called "Four Hugs a Day" at preschool and she loves to sing it, but insists that it's "my song!" if anyone else tries to sing it.  So I've told her that if I don't get my four hugs a day, then I get to sing the song all I want.  Yesterday, as I was loading the car with four little girls, there was a bit of contention between Harmony and Katie, so I started singing the song to distract them.  Harmony jumped out of the car and grabbed me in four tight quick hugs, "One, two, three, four, there!" she announced.

* here's a video of Harmony singing the song with her class.  Check out her fancy dancing moves at the 1:00 mark:


*  Harmony started singing "Head Shoulders Knees and Toes" yesterday and Katie threw a fit, insisting "That's MY song!"

*  I took the four girls to the grocery store and Costco.  We enjoyed banana smoothie samples and I told them we weren't buying cereal or the adorable poofy dresses they saw because they weren't at a good price.  Eliza asked me questions like, "Is pumpkin pie healthy for you?" and "What about eating just sugar?"  Katie insistently proclaimed to the others that churros "were SO!" healthy as they devoured them on the ride home.  I asked them to share pieces with Cami.  By the time we got home, her carseat was covered in small smushed bits of churro the others had overwhelmed her with.  She's only got two hands, you know?



* Lillian watched the littlest girls after school while I ran six miles in 64 minutes, my fastest at that distance yet.  Oh, and it was raining.

* I got out our Halloween costumes and helped Allison and Sarah find costumes for Rome day at school today.
* I lost my temper with a child who was complaining his/her punishment was unjust and that I loved everyone else more than them.  We made up later.

* I taught Michael how to cut up pineapple and watermelon for a fruit salad to go with the simple crockpot chicken and rice I'd made.

* I got fed up with the messes in the family office and barked at three kids to clean up the books on the floor, the papers and art supplies.  Of course, I got the "why do *I* have to do it?" in response.  (See, my kids don't complain about their regularly assigned jobs, just the ones they view as "extra").

* Allison and Sarah decided to have a "wacky contest" with weird dress-ups.  We decided Allison won.


*  After the contest, Allison wrapped Allison's arm in toilet paper to make a fake cast and sling and then had everyone write their name on it.

* I got to read three little girls bedtime stories while an older girl listened from behind the couch.

* I had to call Michael back to the kitchen several times to make sure he followed through on REALLY cleaning the sink as part of his dish duties.

* Harmony and Katie threw a party in their room and played with ponies they'd snuck in instead of going to sleep.  Katie threw a fit when I made her sleep on my bed instead of getting to sleep in her room with Harmony.

*  Lillian came home from her violin lesson to announce that her teacher (a senior in high school) had gotten his mission call and was going to open it that night.  Later, he announced on Facebook he's heading to Taiwan in August and will be in the same mission as his brother for some months.  We're so happy for him and his family.

***
So there you go.  Nothing especially profound to say about it all, except that I am privileged to be a mother and I'm grateful for my life.



Comments

Tiffany Wacaser said…
Love this post. It really is about all those small, daily interactions, isn't it?
An Ordinary Mom said…
Thanks for sharing such a real and heartfelt post!
Trina said…
Thank you for the Neal A. Maxwell talk, that is super great stuff. Have been reading your blog for quite a while now and I really enjoy checking in on your life. Thanks for sharing.