Two little boys are camping out in the living room, in a house tent that has seen better days, a cherished hand-me-down from uncles and aunt. I sit here in my comfy Ikea throne to enforce the quiet, while candlelight dances, reflecting in the mantle mirrors. Doing this, being here, makes me feel like a good mother so I fight my own fidgets and the to do list in my head to do this for them.
Earlier today all my men went out to batten down the hatches. If Earl visits here, he will likely only throw around some garbage pails and knock down some loose tree limbs, if that much. So we wait expectantly and ooh and aah at the overcast and orange light of sunset. Storms are exciting for the little campers and their mama.
They’ll be asleep soon, right? There goes another bathroom trip. And another. A warning that they’ll have to go to sleep in their beds if this keeps up. Some yelling from the bathroom about a found flashlight. Some yelling from me about not yelling.
Good-night boys. I love you. And they answer in kind.
Breaking Ground 
Very, very sweet. Hope they stay quiet in the tent and enjoy the adventure. Good for you in putting that “to-do” list on hold. 🙂
Sara, your comments on Cindy’s recent post really moved me. I remember standing where you are standing. I was a mother who adored her children, but who sometimes became overwhelmed at the enormity of her task.
Last spring I wrote a blog post sharing my heart about this topic. It might be an encouragement to you. If you think it might, the link is…
http://thinking-about-home.blogspot.com/2010/03/to-young-moms.html
Cheryl, I left a comment at your place, but in case you visit here first, thank you. It is so kind of you to go out of your way to encourage me.