All's WELL That Ends WELL

It started out as "one of THOSE days." To be fair, yesterday ended as "one of THOSE days." This morning we 3 gals picked up where we left off. It's summer time and the livin' aint been easy. It seems as though my girls have forgotten all they've learned this year when it comes to household rules and how to obey them.

Many chapters make up our saga. E's adventure to the back of the beach yesterday is a good start to our story. She followed two older kids in our group to the back side of a 2-ft.-thick sea wall, which of course blocked my view of her and anyone else for that matter (rule broken: always be where you can see me and where I can see you). To cap that off after we returned from the beach, I asked my two sandy-footed girls to stand still on the tile while I grabbed the wet towels from the car. I explained that they were still sandy everywhere, and we didn't want to get sand all over the house.

"I'll be right back. Stay right here."

Two minutes later I walked into the house to find K sitting on the wool carpet - wet, sandy butt and all- and E jumping on the leather couch (also wet and still extremely sandy in the places that you can't get sand out of except for in the tub). As we rinsed ourselves clean, K decided to fill her mouth with water, which she then spit out at E. This is a BIG "no-no" right now because apparently both girls did that to their swim teacher at lessons a few weeks ago. I was out reparking the car and missed the lovely scene (rule broken: absolutely NO spitting water at anyone, anytime or anywhere). You know, I think I blocked out the rest of the evening. Suffice to say bedtime routine did not go too well. I remember making threats. I can't remember what they were.

Let me back up though, it wasn't just yesterday that dragged we three down. The day before that E took several steps into the street, sans a parental figure, twice within a five-minute period (rule broken: do NOT go into the street without holding an adult's hand.) Oh, and how could I forget to mention above that the girls and their quick sandy feet were far faster than me and my pregnant feet. So whilst I huffed and puffed my way up the three flights of cement stairs to get up to street level, they quickly ran up them. All the while I shouted, "Stop. Stay there. Wait! Don't get too far ahead. I can't see you!" (I'm 36 weeks along on Monday, and this is my 3rd pregnancy, and I am over 30 now. My body just doesn't quite work like it used to.)

I digress.

Let me get back to finishing our story. We were supposed to go my parents' this afternoon for an over-night visit, but mom called this morning and whispered into the phone, "I've got laryngitis. You'd better not come after all. Of course, you're still welcomed." I passed since I can't take any medication if I were to get sick. (In hindsight, the girls + laryngitis could have = ed SILENCE. All things considered, a quick trip to Newport may not have been such a bad idea after all.) Dad was going to watch the girls and mom and I were to head off to a chick flick, The Proposal to be specific, which I hear is getting rave reviews. So much for that.

Somewhere in between my tears of frustration with motherhood and E's lack of cooperation at swim lessons this morning (coupled with lamenting the loss of my chick flick), everything slowly turned around.

By noon I decided to call in a reinforcement. I hope this darling neighbor girl will be my go-to gal for the rest of the summer. She's 12 now, which means she can legally baby sit. What's even better than that is the fact that my girls just loved having her over. I paid her to work as a mother's helper for K while E had therapy. This allowed me to spend time cleaning and organizing the baby's room (which up til now has been our catch-all room, but after today promises to resemble a nursery-soon). My go-to gal stayed a bit longer than planned so E could enjoy some play time with her too. Then our go-to gal vanished to help her mom take their dog to the vet. She did so with a promise to return later in the evening. Right when the girls were ending their surprisingly silent play time and the whining of boredom ensued, my go-to gal appeared knocking at the door.

"I can only stay for half an hour," she said.

"Great. We'll take you!"

Have you ever noticed - mother's of the world- what you can accomplish in half an hour when someone else is entertaining your kids? I zipped all over the house in a continuation of the serious nesting mode that I snapped into a couple of weeks ago. Dinner time came shortly thereafter. Cartoons filled in a small gap. Teeth were brushed. Stories were told and songs were sung. Prayers were said. Kisses were had. A call from dad sent "I love you's" swirling through the air-conditioned bedroom (he has been out of town this week). Heads hit pillows. Lights went out.

I reflected:

Maybe motherhood isn't so bad after all. Maybe I can do this. Perhaps I am cut out for this job. Even though at times it doesn't feel like I'm a success. Even though at times it feels like my children aren't listening to me, or that they haven't learned anything I thought I had taught them.

I am a mother.

Somewhere inside of me (at times just on the surface-at times deep below it) there is pride and glory in my identity.

If it ends well, then isn't ALL well?