Sometimes you're at your best, when you feel the worst

Ben had a playdate today.

When I went back, at 5:00, to pick him up, Mrs. N. met me at the door.

"Hi! Come on in. They had a great time! He is so sweet...so quiet and polite. He said 'please' and 'thank you' and they all played so nicely."

It was just what I needed to hear.

* * * * * * *

This Christmas vacation is kicking my butt.

The weather seems much colder and nastier than usual. If I had tried to send my offspring outside yesterday, I'm sure I would have lost one or two of them to the 40mph winds.

"What's that flying through the school yard?!"

"Pink coat? Curly hair? Eh. It's just the youngest of the Casalo kids. Don't worry, they're like bloodhounds. That one'll smell her way home."

Thank heaven for the 50 degree weather we had on Sunday. I threw them all outside and bolted the doors shut from the inside.

"I wanna come in!!"

"For what?!"

"I gotta peeeeeee!"

"No! That's what the shrubs are for!"

I'm joking. Sort of. I do have a habit of heading them off at the door to assess whether or not their "needs" are just a ploy to get back into the house. They're sly little buggers, ya know.

So the lack of fresh air (and the lack of a giant padded room where we can all run wild) has us battling a big batch of Cabin Fever. Add to that my post-holiday exhaustion and what we have here is a classic case of "Momma's Loony. Steer Clear."

* * * * * * * * *

On a day (or week) like this, when I'm feeling like I'm not on top of anything, it's nice to hear that I'm doing something right. Despite my tough days...the days when I'm cross-eyed with exhaustion....the days when I just can't force myself to play another board game....the days when I count the minutes until bedtime.....despite all of that, my kids are turning out okay.

Thanks, Mrs. N. (and others like you), for the unintentional pat on the back. You might never know it, but it was exactly what I needed at exactly the right time.