Growing up. . . slowing down

Late morning, Hector's in bed, I should be preparing my group guitar lesson for this afternoon, but I'm really weighing the pro's and con's of enjoying a piece of chocolate cake as a snack. You know, the mid-morning snack you feel you deserve because you woke up at 4:45 in the morning to browse math curricula? Well, I came up with no conclusion. But I still feel that I deserve that piece of chocolate cake. I did clean all three of my bathrooms till they were sparkling AND they smell like disinfectant. That's my favorite part. The smell. That clean smell that tells you that there is no trace of poo or pee left in there. I'm so tired of poo and pee popping up everywhere in my life. But I can't complain.

I love being a mom. Especially a stay at home mom. And to top it all off, I love being a stay at home mom with a husband who is a teacher. He helps me out so much with the kids. He teaches them when they are having troubles with any type of school work. And an added bonus to that is that he gets two and a half months off to spend as he likes. Here is a list of what my husband dreams of doing in the summer months:

1. Go to Iran to learn Farsi (without his family)

2. Go to Lebanon to learn Arabic (without his family)

3. Go on several hunting trips with his friend Eric (without his family)

4. Wake up in the morning, forget to brush his teeth, jump in his Porsche and drive to the local university library and spend a few hours there, get lunch out, then return to the library and read until nightfall, go to a movie and dinner with friends, and then read in bed until he falls asleep.

Here is what he'll really do:

1. Take some summer courses at the local university
2. Lie about taking courses at the local university just so he can spend some alone time in the library reading.

3. Fix broken sprinkler systems and fix other house problems

4. Watch the kids for mommy when she wants to get together with friends

5. Indulge mommy when she wants to go canoeing and boating on various lakes

6. Basically indulge mommy every day when she gets a frown on her face

7. Eat some tasty fast food

8. Go on one hunting trip with Eric (without the fam)

9. Act like he likes lollipops when he really detests them.

So, I've been maidless for a few weeks now. As I've been picking up things around the house, I've really enjoyed just being around Hector. He's said his first word. "Arbol" which means tree in Spanish. There is a nice tall tree outside our kitchen window that he enjoys looking at while he eats his meals. He also said "Mas" this morning and made the sign for it. I'm hoping to get Hector going on Spanish, then the others will at least hear it around the house. Yesterday he dragged a basketful of toys and little things out of my room and into the hallway where it was left until the present. I've left it there on purpose. It's not dirty or messy. It's just in the hallway. I like to look at it every time I walk past it and think "My little guy is growing up. I need to slow down."

So, as I eat this chocolate cake, I'll slow down and only take on a few things each day, chocolate cake being one of them.