Week in My Life: Day 6, Saturday

This week,  I’m participating in the “Week in My Life” series. You can read Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to get all caught up on the shenanigans.

When my eyes finally fluttered open, I looked at the clock and gasped. It was 8am and the house was still quiet. Oh wait, they found the Apple TV remote.

I got out of bed, threw on my yoga pants and shirt and headed out the door for one, very relaxing, hour. Six years ago I had major back surgery to correct my 65-degree curve due to scoliosis. I did rounds and rounds of physical therapy, but it was the nearly four years of regular massages that really helped me heal. I’ve taken a break from them recently, so getting a massage this weekend was a rare treat.

Clearly, I did not consult the family calendar when scheduling that visit because I realized too little, too late that Anna-Laura also had a mandatory meeting at church for her sacramental preparation for First Reconciliation (confession) in January. Mom of the year! Scott handled it well and got her there and home, all while towing four other children. Never even phased him.

When I returned home, the kids were enjoying some downtime with Scott – Wii, television and the usual chasing Luke around the house until he screams. You know, same same. I quickly burned a CD of photos for a friend, dropped it off at her house and then jumped in the shower and Scott got everyone fed lunch and Luke down for his nap. He cleaned up the kitchen, Will enjoyed an afternoon out with a friend and the other kids got busy on school work.

I got busy on somebody’s saint costume for the All Saints Parade this Thursday.

But, not before I discovered I was 3/4-yard short of fabric. So, back to the fabric store I went. Clare accompanied me and we brought home treats for the family. From, you guessed it, Sonic. I loved running errands with Clare. She never complains, always sticks right by my side and is excited to be my big helper. She is a total joy and it reminded me how much I miss her while she’s at school. Clare is growing up into a sweet, big girl. And, the way she says “supposed” (“posed”) is still one of my favorite things about her.

When I laid out all the fabric, I felt a “tap, tap, tap” on my shoulder and heard, “How do you make it work?” Anna-Laura was completely mesmerized by the sewing machine so I took it as a teachable moment to explain how it all works. I see a future clothing and textiles 4-Her in the making! Shout out to my mom, here. Today, I saw life come full circle. I hope future sewing events with Anna-Laura are always this fun.

The kids wrapped up homework, enjoyed football and playing and I finished cutting out the fabric and got a few seams in before we started rallying the troops for the soccer game. Somewhere in there, we got a kid up from a nap, another one came home from a friend’s house, we changed a diaper, made a dessert and got everyone peed and in the van. Miracles happen everyday around here.

After a stellar display of sportsmanship and great heart, but one very disappointing loss – the team’s only this season – we gathered up the chicks and headed to a friend’s house for dinner and the Aggie football game. Fortunately, we all had the late soccer game today so it worked out perfectly. The kids completely destroyed their house, scared their chickens and thoroughly enjoyed playing with one another. The adults had some grand conversation and a few libations. All in all, a pretty spectacular way to spend a Saturday. W-H-O-O-P.