The Never-Ending Battle

DEANNA'S HOME!! We missed her terribly, especially her brothers. Grandma and Grandpa encountered several accidents along the road home, so they were very late arriving. I couldn't get the boys to bed. They wouldn't have been able to sleep, anyway, waiting to hear Sissy's voice.

Daelyn climbed into her bed this morning to snuggle her - chose Deanna over Mommy. That's a first.

And Grandma and Grandpa Doughty, Don's parents, are here for a few days to watch the children while we go away for our anniversary. We leave tomorrow morning for ST. SIMON'S ISLAND. I found this sweet little Bed and Breakfast down there that's right on the beach. It's appropriately named "The Beach Bed and Breakfast". The Suite we have reserved is ranked in the top 5 in the country. But our trip's not about the Suite. It's about being alone with Don for the first time since our honeymoon. We had Deanna shortly after our first anniversary and thus, the child-rearing years began. We've had a nursing baby ever since. So, time alone with Don, including trips, have been virtually impossible.

In preparation for our special time, I bought a few new outfits and had a pedicure - something I've never done before. Don got me a gift certificate for Mother's Day. I cashed it in yesterday. Girlfriends, if you've ever needed pampering, this is the way to go.

They put you in a massage chair (mine had a remote control and I could choose the type of massage I preferred) and your feet go into a whirlpool. This sweet little girl worked on my feet for an hour. To console me, she told me that my feet weren't nearly as bad as many that she sees. But my heels and the sides of my big toes needed much pampering. Living in the south, I wear open sandals about 9 months out of the year and I have a tendency towards dry skin. So, the parts exposed the most could have passed for the Sahara during a dry spell.

But they're done, and I feel "pretty". When Don and I were courting, he could always tell how important I thought a date was by whether or not I had done my toenails. As we would drive down the road, he'd say, "Are your toenails done?" If so, he knew this was a big one - at least to me. Yesterday, when I returned home, I made a big deal out of showing him my toes. Maybe if I do this for 10 more years, I can actually train him to get interested at the sight of painted toenails.

So, we prepare for our trip. And, we try furiously to get the house cleaned before leaving so Grandma and Grandpa, who will be sleeping in our room and using our bathroom, don't have to wallow in nastiness while we're gone. We're used to it. They're not.

I actually started cleaning at the beginning of the week. Unfortunately, by yesterday, the kitchen, after working on it for 3 solid days, was worse than when I started. I don't understand it. I know that often when I clean, things get worse before they get better, but this was a little off the charts. I think everything works against me when we're having company. By bedtime last night, the dining room was VERY clean, the den was the cleanest it's been in months, and the kitchen was in fairly good shape. That was the best I could hope for.

While I pack and attempt to clean the master suite, someone has to keep the children occupied. Otherwise, the rest of the house will be destroyed. It's a trade-off. I can only typically keep one room clean at a time - the one I'm working in right then.

Ah, the joys of motherhood. I just have to keep reminding myself that this is a short season (at times it seems Oh, so long) and before I blink my eyes, all three will be in school, my house will stay spotless, I'll have time for my crafts projects, and I'll be twiddling my thumbs trying to figure out what to do to fill up my free time. Here's hoping, anyway!!!