I Think I Need a Hammock

I took a nap today.


Let me repeat....I....TOOK....A....NAP....TODAY...


It may not feel like cause to celebrate to you, but to me it is a monumental event.  With every Saturday for the past three months completely booked with ball games, I haven't taken a nap...or just sat and read a book...in so long I had forgotten what it was like.



It was amazing.  The nap was only an hour long but it was worth every second.  I might try it again tomorrow.  The only thing that would have improved the experience was a hammock, strung between two palm trees on a tropical island somewhere.


There are so many things I could have...should have...been doing instead.  The laundry pile is out of control.  Like gremlins, I swear someone dumps water on it and it multiplies while I sleep. 
Then there are the four cans of paint sitting on the back porch waiting for me to revitalize a weary deck. Of course, there are always floors to vacuum and mop, toys to put away and dishes begging to be loaded into the dishwasher.


Heck, I could have even done a little writing.  My newest book, number one in a series about the secret (exciting) lives of police wives is chock full of juicy romance, mystery and murder and I am dying to finish writing it so I can share it with the world.  Yet, there I was sound asleep in my room, enjoying the beautiful breezes of a coastal spring day through an open window.


Wait, I forgot...I did do something today!  I sat on the porch swing for an hour while my boys played a round of nerf  with the boy next door.


I felt a little guilty so I cooked a good dinner.  Fresh cut, butcher shop pork chops on the grill, baked potatoes, corn and buttered noodles (for the one who despises potatoes).  My oldest son says "Oh, we are having a big dinner tonight?"


Too many grilled cheese sandwiches during baseball season?


In my defense, they were always fed even if it meant eating in the car on the way to the field.  At least it wasn't fast food.  I only slipped in that direction once or twice the entire season...not too bad if I do say so myself.
I still consider myself a pretty decent mom.  I work all day, run in the house, grill a cheese sandwich and get my kids to their games on time each and every time.  They always have clean uniforms (including those athletic cups in the dishwasher!), clean school clothes, supplies and lunches.  My house may not be in the next issue of Country Living or House Beautiful but I keep the kitchen and the bathrooms clean and the floors swept.  So there is a pile of papers on the counter begging to be sorted and I often pull those clean clothes straight out of the dryer?  All those hours spent watching my kids hit and catch and throw and learn how to be part of a team are far more valuable to me than sorting those papers.  There will be plenty of time to purge in two weeks when I don't have to go to work for over two whole months.


So, this won't be my year to win the mother of the year award.  I'm OK with that.