Who takes care of the Mommy?

As it approaches 5pm, twelve hours since my little angels decided it was time to start the day. This after a night of taking turns waking, coughing, sniffling and crying. I sit here in the Master bedroom rocking chair. The girls nestled in mommy and daddy's bed watching 'The Incredibles' for the millionth time. Grace reciting lines from the move as if she were an extra. My throat hurts, my head is throbbing, my nose is stuffy and itchy and I cannot help but wonder; Who takes care of the Mommy?

I spent all day trying to come up with quiet play. Quiet recuperative, not in front of the television play. But everything I came up with created a disaster... Normally not an issue for me. Usually I could care less about the paint on the floor the blocks everywhere or whatever it is spread all over. If the girls {Grace} have had to use their imaginations, be creative, learned something, been productive then, the mess is all worth it. Today started with watercolors. Creative...fun... requires I only sit there and watch... sounds good to me! Two of the girls' grandparents have birthdays this month and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to make them a gift and sit quietly and do something. Well it was quiet, but cleaning up paint and brushes and paper and craft stuff that has to come out in order to to get to the paint supplies... It was a little difficult today. Then blocks.... I like blocks for a lot of reasons. Grace and I build, create, reinforce the importance of taking turns, work on our colors, but oh the mess... Now my head is starting to pound.

Of course the girls don't nap at the same time, that would be too easy, right? As one took a nap I tried my best to tidy up the house. Company is coming for the weekend, and my cleaning lady is not around. The other took a nap and I felt like I have gotten a few things done. I come to the conclusion that if I could just tackle the kitchen. Sweep, steam clean, wipe counters, stove I'll feel like I've done something and I can stop. I send Grace out to the back patio with her sidewalk chalk and put my head down and get it done. She is on the patio drawing "fish", "turtles", "alligators", "giraffes" all over the pavers making them multicolored and beautiful. I just finish with the steam mop, wrap it up, put it in the garage and come back in to see Grace, making my kitchen floor tiles rainbow colored with sidewalk chalk. How can you do anything but laugh? So, I say; "If you can't beat 'em... join 'em!" Grace and I sat on the floor and colored on the kitchen tiles with chalk. As soon as I joined her, she saw I was not going to react in a big way about it, she lost interest and went back outside. Time to mop the floor again...

That's how we came to be here in the bedroom watching a movie and wondering.... Who takes care of the Mommy??? I think it's going to be an early bed time for the Hurley Girls.