once upon a monday...

...there was a mom.

She wanted to stay in bed and read her library book. It was darkish, and rainy, and every so comfy in that bed. But she smelled the coffee that her husband had made before he went out the door for work. And she knew that if she wasted the time before the homeschooled kids woke up, she'd regret it...because there were floors to sweep and a blog to write on.

She talked herself out of her morning walk...it's raining!, she reasoned! She was so good at talking herself out of things that were good for her, she should get a medal.

This mom loved her kids. She had lots of them, too. Only half were still at home...ten of them around the dinner table just seemed...sparse. Sometimes she realized that these at home weren't there permanently either, and they would grow older and trickle out the door too.

She couldn't seem to stop time, so she decided to simply enjoy the days, revel in the childhood of the three youngest, and do all she could to connect with the teenagers at home...

Of course just because they moved out, didn't automatically make the older kids "strangers". No, Emily and Mirielle and Mali and Aaron still visited, and this mom would definitely drop whatever she was doing to spend time with these "children" of hers. Washington state Benjamin and family, and Washington, D.C. Samuel were on her heart too, and if they called or texted...well, she was all ears.

This mom was thankful that she didn't work. Because if she worked, who would take Mirielle to get new tires on her car?

Homeschooling...ahh, sweetness. An apple picking field trip to the place where they freshly fry donuts? Yes, thank you. Spelling test on Friday night? Why not? Looking up pictures of Lab puppies randomly? Nice. Raking up the leaves and jumping in them, having a picnic in the yard, setting up a whole dollhouse village...you can learn from those things, right?

Jury Duty...one has a responsibility to be a good citizen, and serve when called. But who will homeschool the children, this mom wonders. She had better call and find out if it's a valid excuse to get out of her summons. Part of her would love to serve on a jury...so interesting! And forty dollars a day doesn't sound too bad.

This mom is happy about having her little friend Davian come over and spend his days with her...he brings joy, with the bounce in his step, and his curiosity about his world...his happiness is contagious, and he also loves to cuddle.

This fine Monday morning, life is good for this mama. She has to abandon her blog, and pay attention to her children. Davian is coming over, and the kids are having breakfast. She has to do schoolwork with them, and perhaps go on a spontaneous outing in the afternoon...