Compliments

Ever had one of "those" days? You know, the ones where you wake up late (perhaps because you stayed up until 2 or 3 am), have a ton to do (because you didn't do it yesterday when you should have), and have absolutely noooooo motivation (perhaps due to an hour long workout before crawling into bed or just after crawling out of bed)? Now what? You do the only thing you can do...put one foot in front of the other.... jump in the shower, wash your face, then begin to wash your hair realizing you grabbed the wrong bottle in your haste. So rinse and begin again. Then you try to shave as quickly as possible....yep that results in razor burn but you don't have time to think about it.. Finish up in the shower, get out, dry off and realize you didn't bring all your clothes into the bathroom with ya. Now you run back to the bedroom, and can't find the clothes you wanted to wear so you rummage through the closet, then each of the dresser drawers until you go back to the closet and grab the first thing you can find. After throwing those on and mumbling something about wishing someone would nominate you for "What NOT to Wear", you head back to the bathroom and start on the hair and make-up. Now, some of you may not need the make-up..I DO. (A wise man once said, "IF the barn needs painting, paint it.") So you rush to slap on some paint and realize you are about 20 minutes behind already.

**switching to first person here because..well it's just plain easier to type it in first person. :)

I run upstairs to see if the boys are dressed and ready to go. They are. At least they think they are. My youngest son doesn't match and has a hole in his right pant leg. My oldest has hair sticking out in every direction but is content to sit at the table eating dry cereal. (I know-ewww.)

Seeing they are good to go, I run back down the stairs and realize I haven't switched the loads of laundry that I put in around 1 am. So I stop in the laundry room and do that while it's on my mind. Then off to the bathroom to 'fix' my hair. Absolutely out of time, I borrow the boys' gel, scrunch it in my hair and go. We head out to the Jeep, which my oldest has so thoughtfully taken the time to start for me. As I am backing out of the drive, I realize I forgot something I would definitely need for the day. I dash back into the house and snatch it off the kitchen counter- you know- the place you set everything so you won't forget to take it with you when you go. Ha! RIIIGHT.

Anyway, by now I am STILL running late. By the time I get back in the Jeep, the boys are fighting and the music is cranked up and all I can hear is "Silly Songs with Larry" intermixed with "stop it! Give it back!"... GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.. (Wow--my frustration is growing even as I type. deep breath in, deep breath out.. I'm good now. :)

I head south on North 5th and turn onto 15th. After reprimanding the boys, and switching the cd to something a little less annoying, I take a deep breath and apologize to the boys for yelling at them. By the time I reach G36, I have decided I look like a bum. Feeling stressed and frustrated I go about my day.

**I'll spare you the boredom of that half of my day. :)

On the return trip, I realize I am once again, running late. Nate leaves for work at 4:30 and I need to be home so I can prepare his meals. So, I pull in the garage, park the Jeep and ask the boys to carry things in while I start on the food. Time to pull the hair back in a rubber band...cuz nobody wants hair in their food, right?? I open the refrigerator and begin gathering the fresh fruit and veggies I will need to make Nate's salads. Romaine lettuce, kale, spinach, carrots, cucumber, broccoli, avocado, pepper, apples, oranges, pineapple, red grapes, green grapes, blueberries. Placing my favorite wooden cutting board( compliments of P&G) on the counter, I set to work using an incredibly sharp Pampered Chef knife. Fifteen minutes later, I am elbow deep in salads and realize I haven't started the rice yet. Oops, it only takes 45 minutes to cook, no big deal. It's about 3:30, I still have time. Barely, but I do. Before long, the chicken broth is boiling and the rice is simmering. The salads are done, his lunchbox is packed. I turn back to the meat and beans and ro*tel...wondering in my mind what I will fix for the boys to eat... Oh GOODNESS! I forgot to start the coffee.. Get out the dunkin donuts coffee and make a pot. (Mmmm smells amazing, but ewwww tastes disgusting.) Back to the food.. I can tell he is nearly ready to leave for work so I heat the tortilla shells and begin filling them. Pour on the hot sauce and he's good to go. While he is eating, he tells me he's gonna need clean socks tomorrow. And then asks if I was able to schedule an oil change for "Old Blue." I tell him I did, and the socks are in the dryer waiting to be matched and put away.

As he gathers his "tackle box" (a story all of it's own), keys, badge, hat and gloves, he stands by the door and the boys run over to say goodbye. Ry gives him a hug and tells him to have a good night. Reed leaps from the top of the stairs and lands in daddy's arms. He hugs and kisses daddy bye. My turn. No, I am not leaping from the top of the stairs...tried that once :) or twice :).. but as I wrap my arms around his neck, he kisses me goodbye and tells me he loves me. HE LOVES ME. He kisses me again and says "thanks for supper, Babe. It was really good." And just before he walks out the door, he smiles and says, "You look pretty today."

SERIOUSLY??????????? I feel like a bum. I have been stressed and rushed all day. But he loves me. And he appreciated supper. And he thinks I look pretty. (Even with my hair all scrunchy and back in a rubber band.) AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.... That, my friends, makes me smile. And I have forgotten all about the razor burn (almost). Those compliments are what keeps me going. Not that I would quit doing laundry, or cooking his meals if he didn't show his appreciation. But it sure makes the whole stressful day worth it for me. Just to hear his compliments.