Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Loving the 'Ordinary'


Yesterday, Gabe and I had one of the best days we've ever had together. It was a day that made me love being a mom and had me thinking I'm doing an OK job. We didn't go anywhere, we didn't do anything particularly special, the whole day just went 'well.'

Gabe woke up happy at a reasonable time, had a good breakfast, and enjoyed a bath. We played under the covers as I made the bed. We put his stuffed animals to 'nigh-nigh' complete with covers and pillows, lights off, and aquariums on. I put away laundry, and we cleaned up his toys. We shoveled and played in the snow. We had a usual lunch with a small dance party in our chairs. We headed up to a nap, where he slept 2 1/2 hours and I got to catch up on email. He woke up happy and had a snack. I talked briefly to a friend and got dinner ready.

Sounds simple and even kind of boring, right? But things just flowed effortlessly. He played independently at times while I did chores and then we reconvened for fun time. There was very little whining, crying, begging, no tantrums and no time outs. But there were lots of laughs, hugs, kisses, funny faces and voices, shapes and letters quizzes, and chatting. See, for a lot of us in mom-land, particularly stay-at-home mom-land, an easy ordinary day is an accomplishment. I knew it was happening right from the beginning and I cherished every moment.

The really good news is that I even 'sorta' know why it happened. I had a lovely weekend with my Seoul Sisters. We gabbed all night, like 3am all night, we laughed, we complained, we consulted, we gossiped, we teased, and just enjoyed each other's company. I felt refreshed when I came home and I missed and appreciated my little guy so much more. And he missed me. When you spend 99.9% of your time with someone, you need a break. The weekend helped me be more patient with Gabe today and let me take a deep breath and breathe in all the good I have in my life.

21 comments:

Barbara said...

Sounds incredible. I completely understand! Great idea to blog about it too, so you don't forget it!

Birdie said...

I love this message - very well said!

everythingismeowsome said...

sounds awesome! Especially the weekend away! But seriously, I know how rare and special those days are!

Christine @ 12,450miles said...

This sounds like bliss. Pure bliss! Taking time away is so essential for the soul... sounds like it worked wonders for you!

(And I am jeeeeallllooouuussss!!!!) :-)

Cori said...

As I read through your day I just imagined how lovely it would be when filled with smiles and ease. I am so glad you were able to enjoy this special (ordinary) day with your G-man.

The best memories are sometimes the small ones!

I heart my SS/70s-80s education time.

Kris said...

I hear ya, sista!! I feel the same way and you (of course) said it so well:) It was a great night and it was just the break I needed to get me loving my day job again.

By the way, that's a cute picture of you and the Gabers.

Kari said...

Sounds like a great day! Those kind of days are so wonderful!

Krista said...

Sounds wonderful! It makes all the difference when your little one wakes up in a good move and willing to just go with the flow. We havent' had that in a while... hoping the wind turns.
And yeah on Seoul Sisters!! Sounds like a great time!

Jen said...

What a wonderful day you had! I'm glad that you were able to enjoy it!

I'm glad that it's winter time and the world has slowed down a bit to allow for days like this. I love peaceful & slow days at home with my kids... which never seems to happen in the summer!

sue said...

this post makes me smile. i loved getting away too and i have to say, our day was a little bit better too :).

Grace said...

so sweet...and how awesome that your seoul sistas are so close by. i love this post! and i love that picture of you and gabers -- beautiful!

Christine said...

This makes me happy! Those days are so great, aren't they? I'm so glad you and Gabe had such a fun day together and I'm especially glad that I could share your time away!

Michelle said...

So happy for you. We too had a great day yesterday after having a well-deserved quick getaway for dinner the night before. It worked miracles. Also, I really believe floor time helps all ailments when it comes to our kiddos.

Colleen said...

i love this post...as well as the photo of you and your boy. :) it is amazing what some solo time with your girlfriends can do. ( totally something i need to do more of. :) i feel so blessed to be able to be home with noah, but let's face it...some days are like groundhog day around here. ( especially in winter! )

BrandiB said...

Sounds like an awesome day!!

Kimberly and Ed said...

Sounds like a wonderful day!

nancy and eric schwartz said...

good times, and i could just feel the relaxing fun come through while reading...
and i am grateful to relate ;)

Janet said...

That does sound like a GREAT day (I love when those happen!). Perfect! I am also glad you had time with your Seoul Sisters. I sure hope I get to meet some of you ladies when we come to Chicago in June.

What a fantastic photo of you & Gabe. Beautiful!

Mi Yeon said...

I can feel your happyiness!

kelly said...

You said it, sister! Those days are simply the best. Emphasis on simple. It's just nice when the kiddo is happy and relaxed and therefore the mama can be, too. And I sooooo agree with you that this is the result of having some time apart and mama getting to recharge her batteries. Even if said recharging means staying up until the wee hours of the morning :)

Anonymous said...

those kind of days are so refreshing!