Motherhood

A blog I like, "The Mouthy Housewives" recently asked a bunch of bloggers to describe motherhood in six words. (No, I wasn't one of the bloggers asked to participate, but I won't hold it against them.) 

It got me thinking. How do you sum up such a life-changing, life-fulfilling role? My sweet yet realistic answer would be: Exhausting, exhilarating and totally worth it.

But after spending all day Mother's Day with my two little darlings, I couldn't help but come up with a different set of six words: Often wishing for a mute button.

Because of Jeff's work schedule, our weekend involved me going solo with the kids on a trip to the Twin Cities (I'll write more about that another day) to visit my family. We finally made it home around 4:30 p.m., reunited with the man who helped make me a mother and later went out to dinner to celebrate "my" special day.

The kids, after a 2.5 hour car ride, were, to say the least, not calm. AJ managed to hit his head on the back of the booth not once, but twice. Slow learner. Sydney, meanwhile, appeared to be practicing her dance recital routine while seated, flailing her arms and legs beyond our booth's boundaries at inopportune times, once nearly taking out the kneecap of a waitress carrying a large platter.

Did I mention this restaurant recently added fajitas to its menu? Clearly it should have added a new ventilation system first because the two times servers came out with a sizzling plate, the smoke filled the air, making my children hold their noses and complain of the smell.

In other words, it was an all-around wonderful, relaxing experience. Or at least a typical one.

At the end of the meal, our server decided to make small talk with the kids. He asked them if they'd had a nice Mother's Day. (I note he didn't ask me that question. I wonder if my body language gave me away.)

AJ: Pretty much. We went to church and then we drove back from the Cities.

Server: You went to the Cities?

AJ: Yeah, and we drove and drove, and then Sydney had to go to the bathroom and we stopped and got some snacks and then the Twins won!

Server: The Twins won? What was the score?

Sydney: can I tell him something?

AJ: 4-3.

Server: Who'd they beat?

AJ: The Blue Jays. My teacher's married to someone from Canada.

Sydney: Can I tell him something? We gave Mommy flowers.

Aaahhhh... Motherhood: Flowers and all that goes with it. Whoops. I guess that was seven words.