What day is it?

8:30 a.m. My bed is full - crowded. Hyrum and Roderic had both earlier climbed into our bed to warm up. I still keep my eyes closed, trying to eek out a few more minutes of sleep. Ryan said, "Oh, Sabrina!"

I opened my eyes and saw Sabrina standing silently next to my bed with a tray full of food. Waffles, muffins, syrup, milk.

Roderic asks, "What day is it?"

I reply, "It's a day so special that Sabrina brought me breakfast in bed. What's a mom to do?"

Hyrum states, "Do lawdy (laundry)."

Then, everyone left my bed and I got to eat, alone.

Happy Mother's Day!

Sometimes

Music & lyrics by Fred Rogers © 2005 McFeely-Rogers Foundation
Sometimes I don't feel like going to bed
I don't feel like getting right up, sometimes.
Sometimes I don't feel like wearing my shoes
But sometimes isn't always

Sometimes I don't feel like combing my hair
I don't feel like washing my face, sometimes
Sometimes I don't feel like saying "okay."
But sometimes isn't always

Sometimes I do feel like going to bed
I do feel like washing my face, sometimes
Sometimes I do feel like saying okay
But sometimes isn't always

Sometimes I don't feel like sometimes I do
I feel like I don't like to feel, sometimes
Sometimes I don't and sometimes I do
But sometimes isn't always

Listening to this song yesterday on the CD, "Songs from the Neighborhood: The Music of Mister Rogers," I got to thinking. About motherhood. Sometimes I feel like spending my day on the computer. Sometimes I feel like reading a book to myself. Sometimes I feel like cooking dinner during nap time. Sometimes I feel like taking the kids to the zoo. Happily sometimes isn't always.

Then I was reminded of Elder M. Russell Ballard's talk, "Daughters of God", at the most recent General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He says, "First, recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction." Sometimes isn't always.

Then I remembered a comment that the one sister in our ward over age 70 said about 2 months ago when teaching Relief Society. "My one regret from when I was a younger mother was that I cleaned too much." I certainly don't have that problem, but I want to make sure that when I look back at my child-rearing years that I have more memories of having fun with my children instead of nagging, yelling, or spending too much time on the computer, etc.

My sister (who doesn't have a blog) sent my mom a Mother's Day card, which my mom opened and after reading it, read it aloud to us (me, Ryan, Shanda & Jason). As she read it, we were joking about all the things she could have written, but didn't. She said she had recently re-read the talk by Sister Julie B. Beck from October General Conference, "Mothers Who Know;" and she wanted to thank my mom for being one of those mothers, and then gave examples.

I remember my mom not liking Mother's Day when I was younger because to her it just seemed like a day that she couldn't live up to. She felt she wasn't a perfect mother. I think receiving that card from my sister made her day. (It brought tears to my eyes.) I don't hope to have my children think or remember what a perfect mom I am, because I'm not. But is nice to have them thank me for the things that I do do for them.

Sometimes isn't always.