liking what I do, not doing what I like...

I suppose if I could do anything I wanted to today, I would...hmm, I don't know. Sure, it would include coffee and a donut, and probably a good book....nah, if I could do ANYTHING, it would be taking a pregnancy test and having it positive, and signing the papers for a larger cleaner newer house. ha, if I am dreaming, I may as well dream. Last night I had a dream that I signed a contract for a book, and all I cared about was the signing bonus, $200,000 so that we could buy a new house.

Anyway, what I am really going to do today is call the dr. about Kathryn's foot. She was doing gymnastics, and landed with her foot wrong and her toes went the wrong way. Two toes are swollen, and part of the top of her foot is bruised. hmm. There isn't alot that can be done for broken toes but what if part of her foot is broken and I didn't bring her in because....just because? So...I will try not to think about insurance and deductables and x-rays and money and just bring her in like a good mommy. I promised the two little girls a trip to the library, but I don't know if that will happen. Suzanne is home today because she got up and got dressed and then remembered she had a subsitute teacher, so she took her school clothes off and put on an old Hannah Montana t-shirt...I never agreed to any of this...but here she is, along with Kathryn....

Last night, because Paul is in Boston for a few days, I made French toast for dinner. I was very generous, I made forty pieces, some with white bread and some with wheat. I made the kind of syrup some of them prefer, which is butter melted and brown sugar stirred in. Well, they ate it all down like there is no tomorrow, plus Abigail stopped in and I put some aside for her (she picked up Jonny and went to test drive a car)....anyway, the four heaping plates of French toast were soon empty, and I, being the nice mommy that I am, got up and made ten more pieces. It was the boys, the big boys...Joseph, Aaron, and Sam. They told me I didn't have to make more, but Sam...well, Sam DID want me to make more. As I stood at the stove, I reminded them to remember this moment when they grow up and are rich. I am purposely deleting the part in this story where one of the girls said they did NOT need any more and that I shouldn't make more, and we all started calling her a Meal-wrecker....(a Meal wrecker eats only a salad and makes everyone else feel guilty. Or just a tiny bit and says how stuffed they are....) We were only kidding, but I guess she didn't like it, when I told her it was just how brothers were, she told me it wasn't THEM, it was ME. ME? The NICE MOM? huh? ouch. I told her I was totally kidding. eeks. I needs to be more careful, I guess.

Last night Camille and Charlotte Claire were doing one of their nightly routines, running around like crazy. Then they climbed into the chair to see in the mirror, and Camille somehow fell out of the chair, and landed head first on the wood floor. I saw it happen, it seemed to go in slooow motion, her head hit, then her body, and I thought....oh my goodness, I though alot of things in that one second....she had a huge bump on her head, but did not want me to hold a bag of broccoli on it, she was fine. She sat with me for a bit, but wanted to get down and run again. It crossed my mind that this was what happens when I know I should wash my hair and decide to stretch it to the next day because ..."I am not going anywhere..."

Because we all know that accidents only happen when we wear the rippy underwear or our hair is needing a wash.

My kids were looking in the 'fridge last evening and asking when I am going to the store. I went twice last week, spent over $300. We should be good for a month. But we are almost out of eggs, there is less than a half gallon of milk, and I used most of the bread last night. The kids gage whether I need to go to the store by the availability of quick things like bananas and bagels and waffles.

I missed Paul this morning. He always makes a pot of coffee. This morning I made myself a cup of instant.

Camille...oh my sweet little spoiled little Camille. She doesn't take naps anymore, but is so cranky between afternoon and bed time. So yesterday I took her in with me to lie down. It was rainy and overcast, the perfect day for a little nap. She could NOT lie down. NO, Mommy, I CAN'T! She told me this over and over again. She cried and cried and finally I took her and hugged her and she relaxed and cuddled with me and she was out in a minute flat. I dozed and watched her sleep and admired her chubby cheeks and wondered how she could be so bratty. She slept for over an hour....then she stayed up quite a bit later than usual. But at least she was happier in the afternoon/evening.

Ouch ouch ouch, Joseph weeded out some things from our storage room/his room. He has the room that was not meant to be a bedroom when we built this house. We only had five children then.....anyway, we have no garage (aside from a metal framed thing for the lawn mowers) or attic or basement....so we have storage shelves in the big room downstairs....and then there was a Combi stroller and a PegPerego double stroller and a PegPerego bouncy stroller and the frame of a German pram and the exersaucer and lots of other things....I told Joseph to go ahead and get rid of them....ouch. I did save some things...I still have three or four or possibly five prams...and a side by side Emmaljunga, a small Inglesina, and a Maclaren umbrella stroller.....for the grandchildren, I guess....

Tomorrow: I am excited about tomorrow!!! I am going out to breakfast with Kim and Angela and maybe my sister Cheryl. Joseph is going to watch the girls. Yay. We will talk and eat and drink coffee and drink more coffee and talk some more. I shall behave myself, I shall not gossip, I shall not dominate the conversation, I shall be a good listener and I shall not argue. I shall not brag. Hopefully we will all come away from our breakfast more encouraged and strengthened in our faith, and with more love for each other.