carrots

after all three of us getting the flu this week, friends visiting from out of town, and a day of watching some of our favorite kids (besides those in the immediate family), i was exhausted. as i threw myself down on the bed this afternoon for a 5 minute (right...) nap, i felt something strange, and cold, and... slimy? i jumped up only to see a half eaten carrot on our newly laundered, crisp, white duvet - yuck! but it made me laugh because at that moment, i realized that's what's great about being a mom. "half eaten carrots are what's great about being a mom?" you ask. well, yea, sort of. all those little things, the handprints all over a just-cleaned mirror, my jewelry box emptied on the bedroom floor, a trail of crumbs through the house... these things won't last forever, and i'm actually pretty sure i'll miss them when they stop happening. so for now, when i'm getting the paper towels out for the 14th time this morning, i'll choose to smile!