5.0

Sit Here For Just A Minute?…

This morning started like any other.

Greg asked me at 6am, “Are you awake?” As I thought to myself, I am now.

I showered then got dressed, I made the bed and headed to the kitchen to fill the kettle and get the bowls of oatmeal ready.

Chloe wandered out with pink fuzzy wrapped around her body like a be-speckled second-skin and asked, “Mommy, can you sit down on the couch beside me for one minute?”

“Sure, I just have to pour the water out of the kettle and I’ll be right there.

Then Ellie came on the scene with her arm in a tensor bandage. Had she slept like that? I don’t remember her putting that on.

“Good Morning Mommy, my arm hurts from when I fell yesterday.”

Well, let’s take a look at it then.

Chloe, “Mommy, will you sit with me on the couch for a minute?”

Yep, I’ll be right there Chlo, I just have to check on Ellie’s arm and put the blueberries in my oatmeal and then I’ll be right there.

“Mommy? Can you come here?”

Sure. It was Hanna calling from her bed.

“I can’t get up. I’m tired. I’m not going to school. Tell them I’m too tired.”

After a few minutes of talking Hanna out from under her nest of pillows, I heard a voice from down the hall, “Mommy, will you sit with me for one minute on the couch?”

Yep, I’ll be right there.

But then it was 7:30am and I had to get school lunches packed and water bottles filled and breakfast on the table and kids dressed and inspect teeth and present Chloe with four or five wardrobe options before she nixed them all and went with jeggings, a long sleeved shirt, dress and multi-layered ballet tutu.

Priorities Liz, priorities.

I set down the spoons, the lunch bags, the three ice packs, turned off the tap, dried my hands and quickly ran over to the couch.

I sat down just long enough for the cushion to reach deflation before popping up and suggesting Chloe get up to the table to eat some breakfast.

“Mommy, I want you to sit beside me, just for a minute.”

Okay, but I have hair elastics to find and agendas to sign and a note to write in your lunch Chloe so you’ll know I’m thinking about you all day.

Sigh.

I sat down beside her on the couch and she reached up to put her hand on my back.

Then she said, “Can you move this way?”

I leaned in closer, waiting for a hug to melt all the stresses of the day.

“Thanks, you’re blocking the sun. Now I can see the tv.”

blocking the sun