Lessons Learned

Well, as my luck would have it, Adrienne started showing signs that she was getting sick yesterday and was up screaming last night. This afternoon she began running a fever and her cough sounds even worse than Brooke's now. I've been feeling frustrated due to all of this sickness that's been running our lives for the past two, going on three, weeks. I'm starting to feel like a caged animal and dying to just get out! Soon enough, though.

Through it all, I'm so proud to say that I'm growing more and more content to be home. I've mentioned before that not being able to get out much has always been a challenge for me to deal with but these past couple of weeks have been teaching me a few things:

*I'm SO lucky! The fact that God has given me a husband who provides for us so that I don't have to work outside the home is just incredible to me. He has so much drive and motivation to work extra shifts in order to give us niceties and that means the world to me. Because of John's hard-working attitude, when my girls are sick I don't have to pick between them or going to work. Instead, I can simply devote every second of my day to them without fear of losing my job or getting behind.

*I am blessed to have children who are very healthy. Sure, they're sick right now, but some parents sit in hospital rooms day and after day with chronically sick children who may never get better. This, for us, is temporal, and I don't want to take that for granted.

*My girls are happiest... At home. It's nice to be out and see people but home is where they are them true selves and where we spend the most time laughing.

*An entire morning can be eaten up by throwing them in the tub. Holy cow! We wake up, eat breakfast, play for a bit or read some books, and then it's bath time. They often stay in there for over and hour and laugh hysterically together.

*There is never a shortage of things to do at home. Looking back, that is one of the biggest reasons I always hated being "cooped up" because I would fear that I would be bored. For a busy girl like me, that's not a fun thought! However, I'm more busy than ever. We're always baking something or doing one fun activity or another. We keep quite busy! Sometimes I'll wake up and think "What in the world will we do today" but that worry quickly disappears once we start moving.

*Just because you're home doesn't mean you can't look your best! The temptation has always been for me to not really fix my hair or do my make up when I know I'm "just" staying in but I find that I feel so much better when I still devote a few precious minutes for myself, regardless of our plans for the day. During the girls' hour long bath (on average), I try to do my hair at least and it does wonders for how I feel. It's the little things!

*I absolutely love being a mom. I've always known that but whenever one of my girls is sick, it just reaffirms that to me. I love that when my nurturing, compassionate side is called upon that I get joy out of it. My daughters want only ME when they're sick (unless, of course, Daddy is around) and I so enjoy being that go-to person for them.

After being a stay-at-home mom for right around 4 years now, I never thought I would get to this point. It's been my prayer that God would show me to be content within the walls of my home and I feel like I'm really coming to a good place with that right now. I still really enjoy getting out and interacting with people but I'm realizing that a day at home isn't wasted or any less exciting than the days where we get to bust out of here!