my sanctuary

here i go. this is my first attempt to look on the bright side in the midst of "one of those days".

these are the things that did NOT happen today:

1. getting run over by a car
2. being struck by lightening
3. having a really positive attitude
4. causing my children bodily harm. don't know how, so it must be a miracle.
5. picking up after tornado elias. needless to say, my house is a mess. oh well.
6. a much needed nap for me. oh i tried and tried, but piper, sharer of my room while her is amidst construction, would not go to sleep. grrr.
7. my play date with ams. it's probably best because she busted up her knee and i was threatening my kids safety, soo...

these are things that DID happen today:

1. elias complained all morning about needing to poop. and finally, after 4 days, he did. and BOY that was something else. i'll spare the details, but it involves loads of laundry, bathing, bleaching, and the like. what kid can hold down 4 days of food with a steady diet of miralax? oh yeah. MY kid.
2. one errand. the post office. sent off a few happy packages :)
3. somehow, one of piper's brand new outfits, one of my very favorites, that she's worn once, for two hours, got ruined with bleach. salt in the wound of my day.
4. the diswasher got loaded. a ray of sunshine through the clouds. lol.
5. piper fought and fought eating this morning and then fought and fought sleeping this afternoon. she did, however, succumb to her sleepiness as she screamed herself to sleep while i showered.

which leads to #6...

aahh. a shower.

the shower is my sanctuary. it's not just a place to get clean for me. it's a place of quiet, solace, and solitude. for those 10 minutes, no one needs me (or if they do, i'm ignoring them), i have no responsibilities, and i can just...be.

you can't even hear kids crying in there!

so when i'm overtired, and my kids are driving me to madness, i try to remember to take cover in my bunker. better known as the shower. a little quiet. a little prayer. a little refresher. and i can usually pull it together through dinner and bedtime.

where do you all hide/escape/take refuge in the madness?

refueling the tank

this afternoon, courtesy of my handsome husband, i stopped being a nutty recluse and went out of the house. with no children. to do whatever i want. okay, a couple hours on the clock- and what do i do?

step 1: aviators.

step 2: sunroof open- it's 60 degrees. holy crap. is it spring, and i didn't notice because i don't leave the house unless i have to?

step 3: good music. today's selection, the man i would hunt down to marry if i wasn't already, mr. john legend. his latest cd, evolver, track 2, "green light." this song makes me want to dance. but i try to focus on driving while i sing along like it's karaoke night. sun is shining. life is good.

step 4: iced coffee. oh, it's been SO long. i think coffee and chocolate (ie, my livelihood) make piper gassy and even MORE impossible to breastfeed. so i have gone without. i may regret this decision, but it's such a great iced coffee. i drink every bit of it by the time i'm home.

step 5: wal-mart. lame, i know. practicality wins out sometimes. i need to return a whole bunch of things- which always takes an eternity. i meander around and i find piper cute headbands. SCORE.

step 6: marshalls. oh how i love marshalls. i scout some cute pajamas for my long and lean little string bean of a daughter. much too short are her 9 mos. pjs suddenly. onto 12 mos. it is. i find two really cute antique-y floral types that fit the bill. $6 each. can't go wrong. and what are those? navy stretch pants- for 50 cents?! is this a yard sale or a store?! nothing excites me more than a bargain.

i'm home in time to feed pipski, dinner's cooking itself in the crock pot, and there's a fire in my wood stove. i check the mail, and there's a movie that has date written night all over it. it can't get any better.

as moms, we don't need much sometimes. tell me- what are the little things that refuel YOUR tanks?