It is a Happy Mother's Day

I am writing this post in a great coffee/dessert shop in the next town. The cupcakes are TO DIE FOR. The chocolate peanut butter silk pie is a PMSing woman's dream. This little getaway is a part of my mother's day gift - a few hours of uninterrupted time to write. I chose to leave the house because if I stayed home and sent the boys away, I would have rearranged the furniture, pulled weeds, felt bad for not playing with the dog while he sits and stares me down, and a myriad of other distractions that would have pulled me away from one of the gifts I wanted today - to write.

So I sit here, with my cup of tea and chocolate chip scone crumbs, and I am happy. I am happy that I slept in today and woke up to Monkey Man asking me to take him to Target to buy him a Wizards of Waverly Place magic wand: "It's Alex's, so it's for a girl, but I don't care. I want to do magic spells and turn you into a frog or a cow." Direct quote.

I am happy that I ate a delicious, homecooked breakfast of cheesy scrambled eggs adorned with orange slices served with a cup of black tea in bed. And I ate this before I went to my Sunday morning worship service - kickboxing. Exercise centers me, clears my head, and always makes me feel good. Of course, on the way to and from, I listened to my Christian rock music.

I am happy because a little later today, we are going to my parent's house for dinner. As our lives get busier and Monkey Man gets more involved in school and activities and my sister's kids grow up more and more and have work, and college, and sports and band, I really enjoy having dinner at my parent's. My parent's house has been a gathering place all my life, and it is my home just as much as the place I sleep in each night, the one with the mortgage and horrifying taxes.

I am happy because even though it's Mother's Day, I appreciate my husband, the father of my child. Everyday, he understands my need for quiet time, my need for time with friends, my need to snuggle on the couch and watch "our shows" (The Office, Modern Family, Glee), my need to spend time with him and Monkey Man just the three of us. He doesn't quite understand my need (obsession, compulsion) for neatness, but that's 12+ years in the works and he's getting better.

He is the reason I am a mom (okay, people, Biology 101). I couldn't think of a better baby daddy for this mommy to have. Oh, yeah, and that wizard wand that Monkey Man wanted me to buy him today? Daddy took him to Target while I was in my happy place at the gym and provided our little man with the tool to turn his mother into a cow. Great. Thanks.

And Monkey Man, I couldn't think of a better reason to be a mommy. You make me smile, laugh, sing, dance, and drop in bed with exhaustion every day. And I thank you for that.