I Like Today

Not every day is a mothering win.  Can I get an amen?  In fact, more nights than not, I go to bed wondering if I'm equipped to do this mothering, day in and day out.  Some days my cubicle seems so inviting.  Yet, others, like today, I know without a doubt that I'm cut out for this.

I'm uptight by nature.  I like a schedule.  I like routine.  I like a plan.  Type A, shall we.  And I've found that with staying home, I don't really have any of these things.  Sure, I can say, Monday we are going to do 'this' and Tuesday & Thursday are school, Wednesday is such-n-such, but I'm talking a real plan and purpose.  Hello???  Motherhood is my purpose.  But, having worked outside the home since I was 14, cleaning new homes under construction every Saturday, not having a 'work' purpose is hard for me.  Laundry & dishes & toilets only go so far.

But today, today was a good day.  We went Bowling & had lunch at Chick Fil A.  Nothing spectacular, per say, but it was a really good day.  Easton & I bowled together, while Emerson sat in her stroller and watched.

 We got Ten Dollars worth of quarters and headed to the arcade to play us some games.  A fun game of Air Hockey was first on the agenda.   I won.  7-6.  But his smile, every time either of us got the little yellow puck into the 'goal' at the opposing end...man, that was winning more so than anything.

After air hockey we played a few rounds of ski ball.  We played football, which he insisted he was tall enough for, but he wasn't.  But we played anyways.  We played some deer hunt game that kept his attention for about 2.4 seconds.  I finished it off by shooting an elk or something.  We lost a few quarters to the games where you try to win 587 quarters in return.  Then we went back to use a few more quarters on ski ball.  We'd passed the Prize Counter several times and he had his eye on a Bow & Arrow set.  "Momma!  I wanna win the bow & arrow!"  It was 200 tickets.  I knew our 10$ wasn't going to get us more than a few air heads and maybe some army men.  But as we played ski ball, I rolled a ball into what must have been the lucky number for the day and the sirens started blaring!  Tickets were pouring out like crazy!  396 was the Jackpot winner!  He started hooping & hollering like we'd won $1,000!

483 tickets, and we still have 10 quarters left.  All the excitement sent us right to the prize counter!

One Bow & Arrow set, one duck hunting gun set, 3 airheads & a whistle later, we were ending our fun at the arcade.

"Momma!  You hit the jackpot!  We hit the jackpot!  I can't believe I got the Bow & Arrow!"

His day was made & most certainly, so was mine.

He sang a little ditty on the way home...that I wish I'd recorded, but I got it word for word in my phone...
"I've got a bow & arrow.  It is so cool.  I love it the best.  Mommy hit the jackpot!  And it was so fun!! I got a bow & arrow, I got a bow & arrow..."

It really doesn't get much better than that.  To make him happy & spend time doing something 'fun for him' is really what it's all about.  The more I let go of expectations (of myself & of him) the better life is.

I like today.  Like really, like today.