It was a beautiful day, perfect for a trip to the zoo.

Perfect for inspiration for this week’s Thankful Thursday post.

I’m thankful for the beautiful weather we had.

I’m thankful that we were able to see the last of the beautiful tulips that were planted throughout the zoo before they were all gone.  I can not even imagine planting that many bulbs!

I’m thankful that we were able to meet my dad at the zoo.  It was definitely a treat for the kids to get to enjoy the zoo with Grandpa.

I’m thankful that we were able to get one of the last parking spots in the main lot, which happened to be right next to my dad, somehow.  So much easier than parking in the far lot and then having to race across the zoo to meet up with him at the front!

I’m thankful for our safe trip to and from the zoo, and for children who colored and shared markers along the way.

I’m thankful for kids who listened and were on their best behavior during our trip.

As we were leaving, we met a beautiful little girl being pulled in a wagon.  She had a medical tube leading from her nose to a pack on her back.  Her parents said they were on their way back to the hospital.  I am thankful that she was able to get out and enjoy the weather and the zoo with her parents.  And I am ever so grateful for the health of my own children.  It is something we all too often take for granted.

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Have a thankful post of your own?  Link it up with us!  Be sure to link to your actual post, please, and let your readers know you’ve linked up here!

Linked up with these great Thankful Thursday link ups: Black Tag Diaries, The Fontenot Four, Six by the Bay

The post Thankful Thursday — Inspired by a Trip to the Zoo first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Someday I am going to have to drop my baby girl off for her first day of school.  If I’m lucky she will turn around and wave one last time before racing into the building.  I will fight back the tears so she doesn’t see them, smile back at her, and leave, knowing a piece of me is somewhere in my rear-view mirror.

Someday I am going to sit in an auditorium, surrounded by other parents, as my son’s name is read and he gets his diploma.  When I close my eyes I will still see that blonde, goofy little boy who loves trucks so much.  And if I’m lucky, he won’t think he’s too old to give his mom a big hug in front of his friends.

Someday I’m going to watch my daughter walk down the aisle.  She will be the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.  I will remember the time she married Daddy in the kitchen, when she was just 4 and danced on his feet.  And I won’t be able to hide the tears.

Someday I will hold my first grandchild.  I will look at that sweet face and remember my own sweet babies.

Someday my children will grow up, move out, and start families of their own.

But right now?

Right now I am thankful to have this time with them.  Right now I am thankful for each and every hug and sweet kiss on the cheek my little boy gives me.  Right now I am thankful for the chance to hear each crazy little song my daughter creates as she plays.

What are you thankful for this week?

Leave a comment or link up your own Thankful Thursday post below — make sure you let your readers know you linked up with There’s Just One Mommy.

(Inspired by a prompt on Mama Kat’s Writer’s
Workshop:  Someday I am going to ______________.)

Also shared on  Black Tag Diaries

The post Someday… first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

There are some things that just are too hard to try to do at home by yourself with 2 kids and a dog underfoot.  Those are the things I try to get done on the weekend or in the evening when my husband is home.  This weekend I had a cake to make, and I also wanted to get a few things planted.

It was just as I brought the tomato planter upstairs to put on the back porch that my brother-in-law called to see if my husband could help him with something.  There was a good 45 minutes before my little boy’s nap time, and the rain had stopped, so I thought maybe the kids could play on the back porch while I planted the tomato plants.  It sounds totally doable.  And it should have been.  But it became ugly really fast.

I had planned to go through the garage and use the wagon to bring the 50 pound bag of sand around back to fill the planter’s base.  I told my daughter to wait by the back door and I’d let them all out once I got around back.  She was adamant that she and her brother were coming out the garage door with me, and after a few minutes of trying to explain that I was just going to get the things I needed and meet them in the back, I gave up and brought them with me.  As I loaded the bag of sand in the wagon, along with the tomato plants, shovel, and garden gloves, Peanut and Monkey found the sidewalk chalk and started drawing on the driveway.  “Okay guys, I’m ready to head out back,” I said.  I put some chalk in the wagon and told them they could take the pieces they had in their hands.

“No! I want to stay here!” was Peanut’s reply.

“Mommy can’t plant the tomatoes in the back if you guys are in the driveway,” I said.  “Mommy told you guys you could draw on the back porch while I worked; come on.”

After a few minutes of debate, she relented and started walking behind the wagon towards the back.  That’s when the drama really picked up.

“I want to go inside!”

“Okay, you can go back inside once we’re in the back.  I’ll let you in the back door,” I replied.

“No!  I want to stay outside!”

This went on, back and forth the rest of the short walk (which seemed a lot longer) to the back porch.  By the time we got there she was completely out of control.  And, of course, by then Monkey was also crying, after all, once one is crying the other likes to chime in, too.

At this point I was pretty sure planting anything was out of the question.  Both were tired and we just needed to go inside.  I opened the back door, lifted Peanut up the steps and sat her in the door way.  She decided that was the time to start kicking her feet while still screaming.  I picked up Monkey and stepped over her into the house.

“–Side!” screamed Monkey.  I assumed he was trying to say “outside” and told him we had to come back inside for a bit.

“—Side!!” he screamed again.  He yelled for a good 5 minutes, banging on the door and almost making himself sick in the process.

I looked at the clock, now it was just a few minutes until nap time.  Way too late to even think of trying again IF I could get them calmed down.

I decided to start reading some books, which thankfully worked on calming them both down, although Monkey continued to say “—side” periodically.  Thankfully the dog remained quiet outside, not barking to come in and starting the whole fit process over.

Eventually I got them calmed down to the point that I was able to give Peanut her Video Now player to watch while I rocked Monkey to sleep.

My husband came home shortly after, and I took the opportunity to plant those tomatoes, in peace and quiet.

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I go and get dry jammies, panties, put clean sheets on the bed (at least today is sheet day anyway…)  As I crawl into bed I think, well, now she will sleep until the time she should in the morning, since she won’t have to potty as badly in the morning…

Wrong.

Not even 7 a.m. when I hear, “Mommy…”

“Peanut, it’s too early to be awake.  Why don’t you snuggle with Mommy?”

“But Mommy, the sun’s up!”  (Can’t argue logic, but it is still too early.  Letting her stay up will only bring crankiness later…)

Just as she goes back to her room and I shut my eyes I hear Monkey.  He is bawling.  Not how he usually wakes up.  Normally he plays happily in bed a few minutes in the morning…

The dog starts whining, licking my face, as I throw the covers back off me.  “No, I”m not going to go feed you right now.  I”m going to check on Monkey…”

I expect a horridly dirty diaper, his arm stuck in the crib slats, or something similar by his cries.  I am relieved to discover that it is only  his car, which he slept with last night, and which has rolled off his bed out of reach.  By now Peanut is pushing in front of me, trying to scramble into Monkey’s crib with him and the dog is going in circles, certain she will starve to death if I don’t feed her her brown crunchy things.

Yes, Mother’s Day is over…

But then at breakfast, as I hand over my peanut butter toast to the two of them, who have already finished their bowls of cereal in record time, Peanut say, “I love you, Mommy…”  And really, that’s better than any special day anyway.

The post Mother’s Day Is Over… first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

I hope each of you has a splendid Mother’s Day.

I’d like to take a quick moment to recognize some of the outstanding mother’s I’m lucky enough to personally know:

1. My own mother (you have to put your mom first in a list like this, right?), who drove me to and from gymnastics practice all through high school, made it to all the home meets, sat through countless orchestra concerts, and pushed me to be the best I could be.

2. My sister, mother of three, who holds a daycare of wild toddlers and preschoolers in her home so she can be with her youngest child. She is another person who sends me wonderful hand-me-downs for my own son; she continually does way more than any one person should handle at once, and yet just yesterday she took the time to help me with a small personal matter in the middle of it all.

3. My mother-in-law, who raised a wonderful son, who became a wonderful father.

4. My bestest friend in the whole wide world, E., who tries her best each day to take her 3 energetic kids some place…. How do you have the energy, I’ll never know! LOL. And another friend, S., who takes her daughter to work each day; it’s hard enough to be a SAHM, I can’t imagine also trying to get work done with an energetic, creative preschooler on hand. And so many mothers I used to teach with, each of you has been an inspiration!

There are so many more I could name…. After all, what better way to become a good mother than to surround yourself with other great mothers?

What great mothers do you know?

The post To All the Great Moms – Thank You! first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Anyone with young kids knows how hard it can be to get a shower sometimes.  I finally found a way to get a 10 minute run through the water, and it’s been pretty successful.  Well, the other day the kids were happily playing in my daughter’s room, and I thought maybe I’d try to get cleaned up while they were playing instead of waiting for Sesame Street to come on.

I was just putting the conditioner on my hair when I heard the first few “BOOMS!”.  I knew that meant my daughter was jumping from the changing table that is attached to her toddler bed (we got one of those cribs that grows with your child…).  I finished my shower, continuing to hear the thumps, and wrapped a towel around my wet hair.  “Stop jumping!” I yelled as I started to get dressed.

BOOM!

“I said you need to stop jumping!”  I grabbed my shirt, through the towel on the toilet seat lid, and started power walking to her room, pulling my shirt on as I went.

I was not prepared for what I saw.

An entire box of Cheez-It crackers (I had just opened them the day before) was dumped on the floor, creating the crunchy landing spot of every kid’s dreams…

When I came into the room Peanut instinctively tried to hide in the closet, Monkey followed her.  Angry as I was that the entire box was now smashed into the carpet, I managed to walk quietly back to my room and close the door so the dog wouldn’t come out and try to clean up the mess in her own way.  And then I had both culprits (after all it’s possible that Monkey dumped the box…) pick up all the little pieces.  And, yes, I had them put all the pieces in the box, informing them that now they were going to have dog hair and broken crackers when they wanted Cheez-Its for a snack.

Lesson Learned:  Stick to what works when it comes to taking my shower in the morning…

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