Blueberries

Having the chance to be a stay-at-home-mom this summer has been wonderful for me. I didn't say it was easy, but it has been a wonderful opportunity. When you mother a "strong-willed" child there are often battles to be fought...experience (not the 1,354 people who told me numerous times) has taught be to choose my battles. I have no.earthly.idea. where she gets it from;), but once she has something in her head you can rarely change her way of thinking. Hopefully she will put that to good use someday!

Back to the point...

Staying at home with my babies has been a wonderful experience for me, but like most other things in life it has been a learning experience. A few of the things I've learned are...

• Sometimes it is better to walk outside and laugh than to sit inside and cry...namely when you have two children who are both screaming their heads off. That breath of fresh air can make a world of difference!
• Some days you should do housework while the kids are both napping. Some days you should catch up on General Hospital and let the house stay a mess...it's going to be a mess 6.7 seconds after they wake up anyway (and I really am okay with that:).
• Some days are a continuous countdown to bedtime, and that's okay. It doesn't mean I don't love and adore my children, it simply means it's been "a day"...and we're all going to have them.
• There are more days spent running errands than staying at home all day, so take advantage of the days at home by spending them in your pajamas...your laundry basket will thank you! :)
• There are many days everybody gets a bath except Mama! (TMI?)
• No matter how much you love your babies and spending time with them, 3- (almost 4) year-olds miss their friends and routines!

This is where the blueberries come in. After our first week at home E began asking, "when am I going back to Mrs. Elizabeth's?" She told me she missed her friends. One thing she really missed this summer was picking blueberries at Mrs. Elizabeth's. So, I decided to ask Aunt Jana if we could come pick blueberries at her parents' house. Of course, she said yes! This afternoon we went, and E was so excited. She kept telling me, "Mama, at Mrs. Elizabeth's we get to eat them when we pick them." Of course, she was wanting approval to do the same at Mrs. Brenda's and Mr. Z.R.'s.

She had a blast...and I wouldn't trade you all the blueberries

in the world for the time spent with my babies this summer

(even those days I've wanted to pull my hair out:)!