The Worst Kept Secret

Being a mom can sometimes be tough.  It requires creativity, energy, and patience.  So.  Much.  Patience.  You have to be able to juggle working, cooking, cleaning, parenting, nursing, driving, cheering, teaching, bathing, shopping...the list is endless!   And just when you think you might get to sit down and squeeze in an episode of "Real Housewives" (don't judge) before you fall asleep you remember that the kids didn't spend anytime studying this weeks' spelling words and the test is tomorrow.  TOMORROW!!!  (I'm pretty sure spelling is going to be the end of me as a parent, and I vow to never assign spelling words as a teacher.)  So instead of zoning out to the TV, you're forced to come up with a plan of attack for the darn spelling words.  Do you wake them up and try to practice?  No.  Grumpy kids are worse than kids who don't know how to spell...its a proven fact.  Do you have time in the morning  before school/work?  Ummmm, not really.  Do you just forget about it and let the kids fail miserably?  Not an option.  These kids would never let that go.  So option B it is.  And in the morning you ask the kids to tape the spelling list to the outside of the shower door so you can yell out words between shampoo and conditioner.  I told you it requires creativity.

Yes, being a mom can sometimes be tough.  But the rest of the time?  It can be so so worth it.  All of the sleepless nights.  And the busy days.  And the hard work.  And the meals that no one eats.  And the running from place to place to place.  And yes, even the spelling.  Today, on Mother's Day, I was reminded  how much I am loved and that all of the hours, days, years of hard work is creating the two most amazing people I know.

It started when I picked them up after school on Thursday.  They had a plan, and they weren't afraid to talk about it.

Ben: "Don't look  under your bed I'm hiding your Mother's Day present there."

Abby:  "I was thinking about getting up in the middle of the night on Saturday and sneaking down to your room to tape some pictures up to the wall while you sleep.  Would that be okay?"

Ben: "And we're going to bring you breakfast in bed."

Abby:  "And clean the house."

Ben:  "So just pretend that you are sleeping.  Don't pay attention to what we are doing, okay?"

And this went on for days.  "Do you promise you won't notice what we are doing?"  "What kind of breakfast do you want?"  "Can we run the Roomba in the middle of the night?"

So this morning, you can imagine my shock and surprise when I heard little feet tiptoe into my room at 5:30 (Robbie tried to wake them up in the middle of the night but they were too tired so he got them up when he went to work) and scurry around taping up decorations. 

 

 

 

 

When I finally woke up,  I got a chance to look over the menus for the day...

 And in no time at all, breakfast was being served!  (Although they may have eaten all my strawberries...)

 

 

While I was eating, they gave me all of my cards

 

 

And opened my present for me!

 "This one won't break if we jump on it like the last one!"

 

 

I love how much thought they put into this day.  I love how excited they were to carry out their plan.  I love how they told me every last detail before hand and still expected me to be surprised.

 

On Mother's Day, and every other day, I am so happy to be a mother.  Some days are tough.  Most days are exhausting.  But I couldn't ask for anything more than these two crazy babies.