NOW THAT T-BALL IS OVER...

Now that T Ball is over I having to find things to blog about. With my friend d$ on a blogging hiatus, Gin sick and Ginger in a dry spell herself, I began wondering what I could write about. I didn't really have a source of inspiration, sad to say, if you are a Christian, but even though God's breathtaking creation does awe me almost daily, I don't always think to write about it.

Then, I pulled up in my yard last night after a long day at work. For those of you who don't know, Kevin has taken over the role as Mr. Mom. He also works nights at Honda, but because of his schedule, he is home three nights during the week. He sleeps all weekend, but his day is pretty much lacking during the week. Unless we have some dire major project, the SciFi channel is his best friend. Recently, we decided to give the kids a break from day cares and let them stay home with Daddy. Things have been going well. This week, however, my mom was coming to get the kids and take them to her house. The plan was that she would spend the night and leave early the next day.

Any of you who know me and my mom know that a visit from my mom always sends me into a tail spin. You should have seen my house a few days ago. (If I was one of those techy people, I would have now and then pictures) I started to really freak out on Sunday. The toilet was overflowing into the bathroom floor, the kithen was still under piles of dishes, laundry everywhere ( and did I mention the kids would be with her for a few days?), and I had the suitcase still to pack. With the toilet running into the floor, and my husband at work laughing at me with his co-workers, I spent Sunday night with my dad, cutting out a huge chunk of my time. On Monday night, I came home and washed the dishes, and while I was standing over the steaming hot sink of water, after my shower might I add, my husband came in and asked me to come outside and cut the grass.

Now before you women's-libbers fly off the handle...the rest of his statement was that he would use the push mower and the weed-eater to get up around the house, if I would cut the larger part of the yard on the RIDING LAWN MOWER. So, it was a family affair. I rode the mower, while Meghan sat behind me and rested. This is the kid who falls asleep on the mower when her daddy is driving. Erin pushed the push mower (remember she's 5) while her daddy helped her, and then Kevin used the weed eater on the rest while I cooked dinner. As dinner was cooking, the kids chased lightning bugs and squealed, while Kevin and I enjoyed the seen for a moment. We didn't eat until 9, but it was a good evening. We topped the night off by watching the restaurant scene from Hello Dolly until we lost satellite signal and sat through a howling storm. The power went out at 10, and since the kids had spent half an hour in the closet anyway, we all went to bed.

D-Day: My mom was to arrive sometime after I got home from work. The kitchen still hadn't been mopped and the bathroom had not been cleaned. The suitcase was still to pack, but at least I had put it in the kids' room. I called Kevin on lunch and told that my mom would probably not make it home for supper, but she was still coming. All day I had fretted over how the house would look and whether or not my mom would be disappointed in me because it was total chaos. When I pulled into the drive, I took stock of how nice the yard looked. I remembered the night before and how we all worked together. I already had my menu planned and all the kids' laundry was clean, so I was going to go in and pack while dinner was cooking. I took a deep breath and headed in.

The kitchen was still clean. The floor had been mopped. The bathroom had been mopped. I quickly swiped the counter off and the mirror. The dishwasher was empty! I started packing the kids' clothes and would stop and do something with supper. My mom called and said that she was in Sly Town. She was still about an hour out and not to wait on her to eat. I finished packing all the clothes while supper finished cooking. Meghan colored pictures while they all three watched Garfield. We sat down and started eating, while we watched Ghost Hunters Internation, and mom called to say she was finally to the Home of Nascar. I told her to come on and I would leave supper on the stove for her. She arrived finally, and though tired from her trip, she was in good spirits. Erin offered her a glass of water, which touched her down deep. She rejected the water politely and asked for a cup of coffee. I made some, and we sat down in the kitchen. The visit continued as such ( and I will be brief)

MY MOM PAID ME FOUR COMPLIMENTS WHILE SHE WAS THERE!!!! Usually cynical and condescending, she was pleasant as she asked how it was going with Daddy Day Care. I just knew she would think I was off my rocker for ever taking the kids out of school, let alone letting their third-shift working father look after them--irresponsible is a word she has used before (talking about me, not him). I didn't feel threatened or under the gun as I answered with a positive report. She also commented on how ORGANIZED (me?--remember the chaos from the day before) everything seemed. She asked me how I did it, and I said very honestly that we all pitched in a worked together. I told the story of how Erin offered to clean up her own room the other day--and did it. I told her of how I helped Kevin cut the grass the night before, and how he helped me in return by mopping the floor and working on the laundry. This morning as she was getting ready to take a shower, I directed her to the towels on the shelf in the bathroom and told her when she was finished to put them in the washer. Her eyes grew wide, and I told her that there was nothing in it or that needed to go in. "How did you do that?" I told her that I washed clothes, and what I didn't finish, Kevin finished the day before. After blowdrying her hair, she went into the kitchen. Before going to the bathroom to finish getting ready I had emptied the dishwasher, reloaded it, and laid out the pans, bread and cheese she and Erin would need for cheese toast. "Is this MIRANDA's kitchen I'm in?" And she came to the bathroom where I was painting my toenails..."Your toes look cute. What has come over you? It's like you have a whole new outlook."

"I guess I do." I replied as I walked out with my hair bouncing and my face looking fresh and my lunch that was put together ahead of time, hugging and kissing my daughters good-bye. Truth be told, I'm having a good day. They are not all like this one. It has been my prayer for some time that God would continue to speak to Kevin about what it takes to be a family. I have also asked him to show me the same. This week we really pulled together as a family, and it has been nice. My continued prayer is that we see through open eyes every day.