Speed

As I pulled in the driveway after a lunch date with friends, I glanced in my rear view mirror and saw that 3/4 of them were asleep. The tricky part would be keeping them asleep. I figured I had a good chance since they played hard at the playground. 1, 2, 3 tucked in...I was successful! As I locked the front door after carrying the last one in I muttered a quiet "yes!" This NEVER happens. I actually has some time to do what I wanted to do. Abbie went to the kitchen to find a snack and I did a quick pick up of the living room and kitchen.
Abbie: "mama, can we do something just you and I?"
Oh no, this wasn't in my plans! I wanted to fold laundry, do breakfast dishes, start dinner, sit down and knit, check email. I had such grand plans for this sacred time. I had a dilemma!
me: "Would you like to help me fold laundry?" (This usually works.)
Abbie: "No, I want to do something funner. Can we sew my cape?" (We didn't have that much time.)
me: "No Bee, We don't have that much time, the kids will be waking up soon. Would like to help me cook dinner, we're having soup??" (This usually works too!)
Abbie: "No, let's play a game."
At this point all I can think about is how I want to tell her to go to her room and read her book. Go color me a picture or find something quiet to do so I can finally fold that laundry, or for once start dinner without little people all over me in the kitchen.
me: "What game do you want to play?"
We go into her room to find a game. I remember that I recently taught her to play speed and it is a relatively quick game. Maybe we can play a few games and still have some time to myself.
me: "Do you want to play speed?"
Abbie: "yeah"
We get the deck of cards and head into the living room. We play 3 lovely games of speed. I am starting to feel really good about my decision to spend this time with her, and not doing chores. As we are wrapping up our last game, I suggested she go take a bath. At that very same moment, I hear Eleanor cooing from her bed. I realized that anytime I wanted for myself was just a dream now. I kept myself from feeling resentful to these precious girls who wanted nothing but my love and attention. It is true what they say, there will always be chores, but these little people will not always be here. As I get ready to go to bed tonight, I know I made a wonderful decision. My eldest and I don't get a lot of alone time, and I am so so happy I decided to spend it with her.

Tidbits

- it's 9:14pm but it feels like 11:14pm. I am tired and it's been a long week
- I have quite a few DIY home improvement projects on the brain. They're all really good ones and fun, but I can't really stop thinking about them. There will be lots of craigslist this week.
- Sundays are becoming my favorite days. Mass, Denny's, visit with the 'rents.
- Hoping to resolve some stomach issues with Jameson this week. New meds, labs and ultrasound this week.
- Excited to go apple-picking with our homeschool friends
- Officially became a school, our name.....Ash More. I love it and the meaning.
- Soccer season is over and I decided I am most definitely NOT a soccer mom. I think baseball may be my sport. Jameson on the other hand loves it!
- Thrilled to be Carly's confirmation sponsor. I'm so happy for her!!

- A new Dyson rocked my world this week. This is the second Dyson I have owned and I LOVE them!! This one is even better than my last one...James Dyson you're my hero!
- All our laundry and sheets are clean, folded and put away. It feels really good to start the week with empty hampers.
- Google reader has changed my life! All the blogs I read (there are lots) in one spot! I wish I had know about this long ago, it saves me so much time and I can get them all from my iphone too!
- Looking forward to a full week. Hopefully this cool weather will stick around, it finally feels like autumn.

Road trip to Sacramento

We had a great trip to Sacramento a few weeks ago, to visit Bill's family and see his Grandma for her birthday. The car ride up there (which had me most worried) turned out great thanks to 4 new Wee Sing cd's (I love these soo much, they remind me so much of my own childhood) and lots of snacks. We were able to walk around downtown, visit the Cathedral, tour the Capitol building and enjoy lunch on the lawn there. Our hotel was amazing, with great views. The trip was going swimmingly until Saturday night when Adeleine somehow (still unknown) got bit by Bill's uncle's dog. I am quite sure she did nothing to provoke him, so I was not too happy. A trip to urgent care the next morning confirmed that stitches were needed. After tears and promising her anything she wanted (she settled on soda-her first ever!) we dried our tears, got a balloon and hit the road. We finally arrived home at 2am, Sunday and everyone (yes, all six of us) piled in our bed and went to sleep. That short little trip messed me up for a week and am just now getting back to normal, but it was so worth all the late nights getting packed and late night driving. Sleep is overrated anyway.