Happy Mother's Day!

Today is Mother's Day - at least where I'm from. Where I'm living, however, it's not. That could explain why I seem to have the doldrums today. Or, maybe it's because I desperately want the house to be clean, but I just don't have the motivation to clean it. Can we say Mother's Day present, children? Yeah, in my dreams. But, what's life without a dream or two?

It's been, what, at least a week and a half since the car was killed. The day after, my husband emptied it of our belongings. He filled an embarrassing number of grocery bags (the big handled kind - not those dinky recyclable plastic things) with toys and other junk. It seems every time we go out to the car, the kids bring at least one toy. What this means is that, over time, the car becomes as messy as any well-loved playroom. Then, there's the occasional sweater or jacket that gets left in there. And, that was all before I started sharing a car with my husband. He began to add tools and other objects I don't even know the purpose of (but nothing kinky, as far as I can tell). All of it, in the end, filled way too many bags to admit.

Originally, he sat those bags outside, in front of the door. My daughter, probably sensing rain, brought them all into our tiny kitchen/diningroom/home office. There, they have sat, staring at me - taunting me, really. As my belly has expanded, it has gotten increasingly difficult to bend over and pick things up. I've put away bits of each bag at a time, when the mood struck me, but there is still... ummm... more than one left. They've been sitting there, a lot like luggage after a trip, staying unpacked and teasing me about it a little everyday. In the beginning, I tried sweeping around them, but it's not really very effective, and I just need to get them out of here. Am I able to find the motivation, though? Absolutely not.

What have I done today? Let's see. I baked some lovely Italian bread that was called a success by my husband. And, I made fresh whole wheat lasagna noodles with which to bake a tasty lasagna with a bit of spinach thrown in (no husband needed to know that was good stuff - the pregnant belly was happy, and that's all I need to know). I performed the first few steps of the process for making some sourdough rye bread for tomorrow. I even cleaned all the dishes related to this cooking frenzy and threw in a load of laundry for good measure. But, can I drag myself into the kitchen for the task of emptying those bags? Nope. Instead, I wander aimless trying to find another task that suits my mood better. What next?

Time to take the kids out and water the garden. You didn't honestly think I'd clean out those bags, did you? Besides, I promised Lambchop #1 that I'd take her to see the horses on the neighbor's property. She loves horses, so I couldn't resist her suggesting it - which reminds me of a funny anecdote...

The dreams of a rural (almost) 5-year-old are quite different from those of a city dwelling kid. She came to me the other day with some pocket change. She told me she was saving up to buy a donkey. I was a bit confused about where this idea had come from, so I asked. She explained that she had told her French grandfather that she wanted a horse. He apparently told her that she was too little to mount it and would be better off with a donkey, instead. So, she's spent the past week talking about the donkey she'd like to get. And, little does she know, but when you show interest in anything rural and rustic around here, you're likely to get it. Her grandfather is most likely so excited that she didn't ask for a Barbie or some video game that he's actually been looking for donkeys for sale. So, if you know anybody with a pet donkey for sale, please let me know.