Sweet Reminders

My husband moved to Florida....without me. He left me with 4 boys, A bio unit with a dissection of a fetal pig, which is sitting plastic wrapped in my garage, and makes me shudder every time I walk by it, finals in three classes, two teacher luncheons, two end of school programs, a high maintenance home buyer, and a whole house to pack up. Isn't he romantic???

Yesterday I got up to a house that looked like Liam had free range of the fridge, toilet paper, and laundry basket....which he did, but at least my assignments were submited only 1 day late the night before. I was picking what I think was dried cheese out of the carpet when the phone rang.

Let me insert here, my awe at little kids. Do you know what all they can accomplish in just an hour, never mind a day??? Liam can redecorate the floor with Lucky Charms, fill the washing machine with mega blocks, clean the bathroom floor with chocolate milk, assist his older brother in sharing his stuffed animals, and throw an entire bags worth of dog food out the doggie door and onto the garage steps just in case our dog might get hungry if she ever decides to actually start going out to pee instead of doing it inside, and he isn't half as tired as I am just watching him!! Fast and efficient doesn't even begin to describe him! Thats youthful and incredibly impressive energy right there!!

The person on the other end of the phone was the realtor for our charming and organized home buyer. She wanted to come take measurements of her soon to be new home that she won't be moving into for another month and a half, but needed to measure today and no later, and could I please have children and dog and self vacated in two hours? Just how opposed is she to sour milk on the kitchen floor and over flowing garbage cans in the bathrooms while she measures??

It was kind of one of those days, where you are faced with the sad and honest reality that you are only one little tiny woman who most certainly does not possess super human qualities to create 4 male angels in the store, be at two appointments at once, or ever have a clean vehicle.

When I tucked my boys into bed, having threatened to break bones if anyone got up, lectured about the unwise decisions to hide homework, and bribed on-time morning promises from them, I looked at their little faces mostly clean from their showers, and said. "Sorry I've been kinda grouchy today".

They looked at me with these looks on their faces like, hah! kinda? today?? my oldest sweetly says, "Its because you miss daddy."

How is it that daddy can make everything better? I mean the kid is right, I am grouchy because my husband isnt here, but really what's changed since he left?

I still get everyone up in the morning. I still make lunches and facilitate homework and dress and change diapers for tiny little bodies. I still call teachers and get the groceries and wipe the boogies and make the supper; all stuff I still do when he's here.

But we do miss him and I am grouchy because I miss him and my 7 year old is one of the wisest little kids I know. So I told them, how about you remind mommy that she's being a little grouchy when I'm getting that way.

Today, was better.... until about noon! Then I had a baby covered in snot, wailing and super glued to my leg, a realtor wanting extra papers that I don't think even existed, a kid who had appendicitis like symptoms, and a half baked batch of cookies.

So I did what any I-wanna-be-supermom-but-I-can't-even-do-regular-mom-right-now woman would do. I ignored the realtors calls, I ate the rest of the cookie dough, I broke all speed limits getting to the doctor right before they closed and fed my kids takeout yet again. Thankfully the appendix seems to be ok living a while longer in its spot in my son's body. On the way home, Caleb and Liam were doing a pretty impressive rendition of the Veggie Tales theme song completly in spit, but it kept hitting the back of my neck and I wasn't really in the mood anyways.

I snapped at them to cut it out and for a blessed scond everyone was silent! Then a tiny Kyler voice says, "your kind being grouchy mommy."

I have to admit, it totally made my day! I laughed and said you are so right! So I let the kids eat several cookies, and didn't do the dishes in the sink, or pick up the toys on the floor, but we all snuggled and I felt happy knowing that I was my little kids' imperfect mommy, and I was totally loved and accepted by them!! And of course after daddy called, everyone felt better!!!!

And I know she's going to want to come tomorrow to look at replacing all door handles with the way my house looks. I don't know how, but she totally knows those nights I don't do supermom!!