to all the mom's out there

have you ever noticed how it's true that you can't really really plan your life? because things just sort of go down in ways you never expected?

like kids crying out of control because they are tired and worn out and tired some more. and they just need to sleep but sleep eludes them, and so they carry on with the tears. and so all your plans for a good night's rest, well they go out the window.

that is the life when you are a mom. i am not one of those. i want to be, some days. some days i do not. most days i don't really think about it. until i am in charge of a few of them. oh my g to the oodness. i've done some serious baby-sitting of late.

first week of june i took care of my four nieces, ranging from two to eight, for three and a half days. and then i took care of two toddlers, my niece and nephew, for two and a half days. i've taken kids swimming, to the library, shopping, to chick-fil-a (several times, mind you...the play place is a life saver!), sonic, wendy's, the movies, the splash park, the park, the gym...just thinking about it makes my head spin and fills me with exhaustion.

do you know what it means to take kids to the pool? to a movie? or lunch? you see, someone inevitably has a food allergy that must be planned for...only wendy's will do for chicken nuggets. but there is no play place at wendy's. drive-thru it is, and then it's off to chick-fil-a (which i admit i prefer...but). then lugging the kids in, picking out meals, eating meals...have you ever fed a two-year-old? two-year-olds have minds and ideas of their own. and then finally a few minutes of peace while they are off to play.

or the pool, for example, requires life jackets and towels and snacks and water and coatings of sun screen and then loading the car and unloading the car. and holding hands and changing into swim diapers. going to the pool is not so easy as one might expect with children in the mix. and once you are there, it isn't all about lounging. you have to sit and watch and even stay glued to the side of a reluctant two-year-old.

even a simple day at home isn't so simple. there are naps, snacks, cleaning, cooking, fits, bumps, bruises, fights, and then you start it all over again once the morning is over. i made waffles this morning. it took forty-five minutes to cook for six children! forty-five minutes for some waffles!!! and i didn't even eat one of the waffles. not even one! i thought twenty minutes, tops. oh was i mistaken...mistaken, indeed. and then we were off to the movie theater. so there i was, no shower, no make-up, (at least i didn't stay in my p.j.s), a little deodorant (good thing), and three kids in tow. and are they with me? did i lose one? does anyone need to go to the bathroom? do you need drinks? a booster seat? holy cow! it's just a movie.

so i guess what i am saying is that my hat goes off to all the mothers out there. i always knew it was a hard job. but i don't think i really gave it a lot of thought. and p. to the s. my mother is a saint. how she made it through life with seven kids i will never know. even one is...well...you get the idea!