good stuff
I have to be honest and say that this has been one of those weeks where it’s hard to not be discouraged. The kids are climbing the walls, I’m behind on everything in the house, the weather has been meh and my husband has been sick with the flu since last Thursday. It has all been a bit much. People, I’m tired. I’m having a hard time rolling with the chaos and being ok with everything only half done. I’m not going for perfect. Far from it. I was just kind of hoping that I could walk across the floor without sticking to it or, you know, actually fold the clothes that are piling up on the couch. But alas, it’s not happening this week. Instead of getting down, I am trying to focus on the good stuff. When I open my eyes and look for it, there is a lot of good stuff.
The good stuff:
* Little monkey only woke up once last night for the first time in a couple of weeks.
* When playing soccer with the kids this morning darling daughter declared our team to called “the hookers”! I wondered if maybe we could name our team something that started with the letter “R” (oh, crafty distraction) but she said, “No Mom. We are da hookers so we will be called da hookers. I LOVE hookers”! So Da Hookers it was! I will remind her of this one day when she knows what a hooker is.
* This afternoon while G was standing on the front porch watching, all of our little robin babies jumped out of the nest for their inaugural flight and she witnessed the whole thing. When they tried to fly a bunch of sparrows started dive bombing them. The Mommy and Daddy robins went totally nuts and started flying into the sparrows, yelling their beaks off the whole time. It was very loud and dramatic, if a little bit scary since they were all flying right over her head. It was so cool to watch and I really hope that she holds onto that memory.
* When I sit on the couch in the family room and look out the window, all I can see is green. Sweet, beautiful green.
* There is ZERO percent chance of rain for tomorrow and we’re expecting sunshine! Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun, please shine down on us!
dinner conversation
This conversation took place over bbq’d chicken last night.
N: This chicken is really good!
Me: I’m glad you are enjoying it.
N: I wonder what it is?
Me: It’s chicken.
N: Yeah but what kind of chicken?
Me: Chicken, chicken.
N: What I really want to know is if this is a battery chicken or what?
Me: stunned silence…
robin in the rain
On Saturday morning I took a few minutes to laze about in the sunshine drinking tea on our front porch. I was enjoying the warmth of the sun and casually watching our kids ride their bikes when I noticed a fat little Robin flitting about. She had a worm in her mouth and was rather furiously pacing back and forth on the lawn in front of me. Curious as to what was ruffling her feathers (so to speak), I continued to watch, making sure to sit absolutely still (hoping that my children would wait just a few more minutes before blazing back into the driveway). The little bird paced for a few more minutes and then very cautiously made her way towards the little tree in our front garden. I was amazed at the care she took to make sure no one was following her. Once she felt safe, she darted into the tree. Through the twist of branches I could see a little nest and four tiny yellow beaks open to her offerings. She fed her babies and then swooped away to continue her ritual.
Watching the little Robin brought tears to my eyes as I considered the tenderness with which she cared for her young. The way she sheltered them from the elements and hid them from predators. How she fed each one of them in turn, making sure each one had their fill. Through out the weekend I paused at our front window to see if she was there and sure enough, each time I was able to spot her either making her way back to her babies or darting out from her shelter to get them more food. I thought of her last night as I listened to the rain dancing on the roof. I pictured her covering her still naked little babies with her wings and wondered if she was cold in the rain.
That little Robin reminded me of the beauty of motherhood. She was busy all day with her constant flying to and fro and yet when she landed on her nest she always took a moment to nudge a baby into a better position, fluff a feather or clean her nest. I just hope that she took a few minutes to soak in the sun for herself, rest on a blooming crabapple tree or take the first bite of a juicy worm.
