today

I'm in one of those 'moods' where I don't feel like cleaning up after the kids and all their messes they make. Mark was a saint, and he cleaned the downstairs til it was sparkling like the top of the Chrysler Building!! Sometime's he knows right when to step in without any prompting from me. (or maybe it was a little prompting that I didn't clean up yesterday's mess?)

Despite his beautimous cleaning, it doesn't last forever, so I'm reverting to this quote, to help me stay sane:

"If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will-to your surprise-miss them profoundly."
-President Thomas S. Monson

I know they will be gone one day and their child hood will have slipped through my home in the blink of an eye. It kind of makes me sad, but happy at the same time. (I secretly, ok...OPENLY...LOVE a clean house, and still remember how easy it was to keep my house spotless with just one child). But on the other hand, I know this is a happy time in my kids' lives...their worries are minimal, they are truly content and happy people, and their innocence is purity. They aren't psychologically marred by the world and their self images are doing pretty good. They are healthy and strong. I couldn't ask for more, and I feel so blessed. But when kids grow...so do their life challenges. I shouldn't wish away these blessed days, but today I crave solitude.

Is it bad that I feel like going to the mall, shopping like there is no budget, eating out and ordering a filet mignon, and getting dessert too? Of course, I'm a sensible wife and would NEVER do that. Mark works too hard for me to devalue our precious budget. Thanks babe for all you do, and when we are old and retired, we'll enjoy a day at the mall together!