A Mother’s Musings, Mishaps and Milestones: A Thankful Month Day 3

Today I am Thankful For: Donuts and Arts and Crafts

After Lula's first night out of her crib - and a moderate power struggle to get her to stay in bed - the girls slept until 8am! This is 2 hours longer than their usual crack of dawn pajama party! No sir, I am not thankful for two more hours of sleep, as much as I do love sleep, and although the sleep set the mornings schedule and change of plans into motion, and despite the fact that it is the changed plans that I am thankful for, I am not going to waste my thanks on sleep....

The extra sleep meant it would be a rushed and a stressful breakfast, attempting to get three of us dressed, fed and out the door in 30 minutes in order to make it to Stroller Strides. The morning started so happy... with extra sleep, rested and giggly children, a beautiful {and cool} breeze.... It seemed such an awful thing to knowingly and abruptly end this blissful morning by running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to make the nearly impossible happen. And even if we did make it, would it be worth the stress, high-blood pressure, miserable children and irritated mommy? The answer is a resounding "Nope!"

So day three, no Stroller Strides.... I can embrace it! Downstairs we go, all in our pj's, happy, relaxed, sunshiny... Me: "What's for breakfast girls?" The Girls: {in stereo} "Chocolate milk!" Me: {in my head} Crap! We're out of milk! {aloud} "Okay girls.... Mommy's going to go upstairs throw some shorts on and grab you guys something to wear. We have to go to the store, we're out of milk.... Who wants donuts for breakfast??" The Girls: {jumping and screaming} "DONUTS!!!!"

Home with milk, donuts and a few things for dinner. Wheew.... that was easy! The store was quiet, no one was over tired or hungry or misbehaving. Why don't I do the shopping first thing in the morning all the time? {That's a whole other discussion for another time - back to Giving Thanks} It's beautiful out - It will be 90* in a few hours and the breeze if it stays will be hot and not beautiful before long, so to the patio we go .......Oh there are a few brief months out of the year when I am so thankful, so very, very thankful for that beautiful back patio. Most mornings in October and most of November I am so in love with that patio! - Again I digress.... I suppose I should be thankful for Adderall, at least on the days when I remember my afternoon dose! Moving on...

So out on the patio.... the girls... their chocolate milk... me.... my iced coffee.... and our donuts.... sitting at their Little Tikes picnic table, even mommy. Having a leisurely, giggly, and rare, processed sugar and preservative filled breakfast and loving every minute of it! We made pigs of ourselves and each had TWO donuts and it was awesome. To sit and talk and laugh and enjoy breakfast without the stress of looking at the clock...

Who's hair is done? -- We gotta go! -- Who still needs to get dressed? -- Did you brush your teeth? -- We gotta go! -- Did you go potty? -- Where are your shoes? -- Where are my shoes? -- We're going to be late! -- No really... Where are my shoes? -- We gotta go! -- Finish your breakfast! -- What do you want for snack? -- We don't have any goldfish! -- You don't need to... I already fed the fish!! -- What do you want for snack?? -- You can feed the fish tonight! -- Where's your sippy cup? -- No I'm not doing your hair over-again, it's beautiful just the way it is! -- We're not going to make it!! -- Where's your backpack, you have school right after Stroller Strides! -- We're late...again! -- Come on girls, finish eating! -- Mommy will finish her breakfast in the car! -- No one is sitting in the pink car seat this time! -- Worry about your breakfast, mommy will eat in the car! -- Last chance, go potty now, we're alreay late!

None of that this morning. Today I am thankful for Donuts! Silly, sticky, sugar filled, glaze covered, chocolate dipped, cream filled and fun donuts!

After donuts, the girls and I pulled out all of the pipe cleaners, {well the 'all' that they know about} and their beads and sat and strung beads on pipe cleaners for an hour. Gigi kept telling me "Close your eyes" and then would "Ta-da" as she showed me her progress!! Lula kept shouting "I did it!". It has been far too long since we sat and did any real arts and crafts together. Which is sad becuase the girls love arts and crafts as much as I do and I really love it! But between filling my mornings with working-out and Gigi going to school two days a week.... It has not happened nearly as often as it should. So today I am also thankful for Arts and Crafts. I was reminded, that in taking time to do something for myself I cannot forget to still be the fun, messy, creative, silly, mommy I was before. From now on Wednesday is Gigi and Lula Day. No Stroller Strides, no school, no rushing - just three girls, a leasurly morning and fun projects!