The surprise visit

OH ME OH MY! I've always said to working mothers...I don't know how in the world you can juggle it all. I can barely keep my head above water and I only work 8 hours a week. How can you keep your house clean, laundry caught up, floors mopped and dinners cooked? Is it just me or does there never seem to be enough hours in the day?!?

Today for example...I seriously wanted to die when I saw my Pastor and his perfectly adorable wife pull up in my driveway. A quick scan of my home didn't help the feeling of panic well up in me. I could barely see my living room floor. It was covered w/ hot wheels, legos, My Little Ponies, balls and a few random stuffed animals. On my kitchen table, there were grocery ads I still hadn't been able to sit down and go through, baby wipes, a loaf of bread, mail and a cookbook. On our overstuffed chair there was the load of laundry I was waiting to fold until nap time, complete w/ boxers and panties and lots of socks.

I hadn't yet showered for the day. (Sometimes I don't find the time to do it until right before bed.) I saw a stain on the tank top I had on and my hair was still bed-head.

When I opened the front door to welcome them, I saw the broom laying across the porch that Sam Watson had been “helping” me sweep with earlier that day. Charlee had been playing in one of my flower pots so dirt was strewn all the way across one of the steps. We had played in their plastic swimming pool which was still sitting out, full of water. Everywhere I looked there was a complete mess.

Before they came up to the door I was thinking, “Should I invite them in to see this horrible mess? I'm just so mortified!” But you know what? As quickly as that thought entered my head, it just as quickly went away. Why should I apologize for being the best mom that I can possibly be? My house is not perfectly clean, it's perfectly lived in. Yes, my shirt has jelly stains...because just a few mintues ago I was snuggling with the most adorable blue-eyed boy in the world who had sticky fingers. Nope, no apologizing, no fretting...today has been the most wonderful day because I did what I love doing more than anything else...PLAY WITH, LAUGH WITH, AND LOVE ON my 2 kids. I'm not a “sit on the sidelines” kind of a mom. Today I've gone down a slide, gotten my clothes all wet, built a skyscraper w/ legos, dressed up Charlee's dolls and piled up pillows so my kids could be superhero's off the couch. Now, don't get me wrong, there are days where momma must absolutely try and GET STUFF DONE, for crying out loud. But today was not one of those days...and it has been a very good day, indeed.

So...Pastor and adorable wife, come on into my home...because w/ every lego you see you'll see 20 times more hugs! With every stain on my shirt you'll see my boy give the best slobbery kisses and hugs. With the dark circles under my eyes, you'll also see the laugh lines from experiencing the best 3 years of my life.

My kids won't grow up and cherish the times they saw me vacuuming. They'll cherish the times we went on long walks, played in the garden soil, and had picnics in the treehouse. And they'll remember ME right in the middle of it all, their momma...eating PB and honey sandwiches while wearing a cape and sharing grapes w/ Teddy the Bear.

Now...let me take off this cape, come back to earth and pick up some toys while the kids are napping! And maybe while I'm at it, I can throw on some mascara and a clean shirt so my man can see what a hot momma he's got here anxiously awaiting his return home! :)