My life when I existed in the real world...

Believe it or not today is the 5 year anniversary of the last day I officially worked outside of the home. I can't believe it's been that long! Mike often reminds me that there is a real world out there that I may have lost touch with and I'm afraid he is right. Some days my time exists with really basic questions - what to have for lunch? Does your diaper need changed? Do you want to drink out of the blue cup or the orange one? Do you want to watch Caillou or Little Einsteins? Nothing earth shattering. But I think that's where I'm hoping I am making a difference in the lives of our children. I am here. I am present. I meet their needs and truthfully, they meet mine, too. I cannot imagine a world without them. After the last 6 or 7 months I jump every time one of them tells me something hurts. I worry if they get a fever or say their stomach hurts. We have recently gone on a big band-aid kick here. It may be on the verge of becoming ridiculous but if a band-aid solves the problem I'm all for it. I sometimes wish we could band-aid the world! But the whole point is that they can turn to me and I can attempt to fix it. So to say that I haven't worked is a bit of a stretch. We all know that. This job can be very demanding but also very rewarding. Today I was baking those big frozen pretzels in the oven for our after school snack. I asked Amanda if she wanted one and she said, "Yes, please, Mommy." Dang. That just melted my heart. Those 3 simple words. And, I think that I'm doing a darn good job if I may toot my own horn (a little)! On days when I question my worth in life (and my sanity) I just try and remember the long term impact I am making in their lives. One wet, sloppy kiss validates the whole thing!