Ode to Mothers {Ghost of Mothers days past}

I nursed the baby at 4am.
I shared my bed with 2 little kids {and the Mr in there somewhere too}
They left to make breakfast and set the table, only to come back 10 mins later {6:25am}to beg me to come and open presents. So much for a sleep alone - 10 mins it is!

A breakfast of burnt pancakes and bubbly maison, my lovely presents displayed on the table.


Then a child informs me they wet the bed. Deal with that.

The Mr leaves for early morning church meetings.

Two older girls have a fight, I yell that they are NOT ALLOWED TO FIGHT on Mothers Day.
There is ONLY ONE DAY OF THE YEAR  you have to be good I say!
ONE DAY!
and that day is TODAY!!

Please!?!


I almost drive off to church minus a few kids, I don't know what was taking them so long but they weren't in the car!! Then we participate in my self imposed torture of keeping four kids still in church alone in the 3rd row.

BUT...


But as I held a sleeping baby, kissing her on the head, and had a 7 year old nuzzle into my side, while patting a 3 year old on the back as she sat upside down on the chair, and looked over to a 9 year old who had the 3 year old on her, I felt joy. Tear sprung to my eyes. I kept my head bowed , emotions getting the best. Listening to the speakers expound on the importance of mothers. A few breaths and I thought I had it together...

But then I had to watch The MR deliver a 20 min talk on Mothers and women in the gospel. He may have started his talk with " A happy wife is a happy Life!....This week I upset my wife" but he won me over in the end with  talk of how much he loved us, and all his crying!

And then I saw it. I knew it to be true.

My family all right there. Four little ones nestled into my side. My husband 3 metres away straight ahead, looking right at me, talking about the sanctity of motherhood.

And I look down to my short bitten fingernails and see chipped ugly 'Barbie pink' nail polish
{polish they chose for my gift and asked me to wear}

The polish reminded me that my Mothers Day might not be perfect {or nice or attractive} but it's mine and they gave it to me. All day I looked at that polish and thought of them. For without those beautiful girls I would not be a mother.

I might leave it on for a few more days.



PS  Mothers day went really uphill after I fell out the door wearing heels and carrying 3 bags of rubbish. I've twisted my ankle bad and had to be carried everywhere the rest of the night :) Well atleast I got a bit of guilt induced obedience. "Get this, Do this, Go to bed, mummy can't come etc as I lay down in agony for half the night.



Leading up to Mothers Day I thought it might be fun to share some of my previous pieces regarding this most wonderful day of the year. A bit of preparation to prepare us to the realities of it all :)