From the Heart: Happy

Sometimes I get frustrated. I lose my patience. I use my cranky voice. Over little things. Like when it's time to leave in the morning and Lexi is searching the house for something to take with her and I say, "come on, we're going to be late. Hurry up." And this list of little frustrations is long some days and sounds something like this..."turn the tv off, leave her alone, if it's not kind don't say it, clean up your mess, watch what you're doing, feet off the table, stop jumping on the furniture, eat your supper, that's enough treats, ask before you take things, put it back where you got it, get your pyjamas on, brush your teeth..."

When Lexi was searching her room for the perfect, random item to take with her the other morning I muttered something like, "Hurry up, Momma's getting frustrated!" She came over to me and said in her sweetest, teacher sounding voice, "Mom, when you're feeling frustrated you just need to do the eyebrow hop." I looked at her and my heart melted. Because she was exactly right. Even though I wanted to justify my frustrations by explaining how momma was going to be late for work, all that we had to do, how it doesn't really matter what toy you take with you and more useless mom words, I stopped myself. I knew exactly what she meant by the eyebrow hop. You just have to watch an episode of The Adventures of Napkin Man to know what she's talking about.

Last night, the girls were playing outside in the yard. The sun was shining and the wind had a cold bite to it. I grabbed a blanket and wrapped myself up, poured a cup of coffee and curled up in a lawn chair on the deck. It was Friday night. The whole weekend was ahead of us. Jon was BBQing juicy steak, Callie was building sandcastles, Lexi was bringing me the rings to play ring toss, I held my warm cup of coffee with both hands and said, "mom is so happy right now." I just wanted everyone to know that momma isn't always frustrated and impatient! In between all of life's tiny frustrations they are many big and shiny happy times.

Some of this weeks, shiny happy moments...