Monday

There are so many songs with the word Monday in the title or the lyrics--

Monday, Monday....so good to me by the Mamas and the Papas
Just Another Manic Monday... by the Bangles
Come Monday, It'll be alright... by Jimmy Buffett
Tell me why I don't like Mondays by Tori Amos/Boomtown Rats

And I can just vouch that today, everyone of those fit. Whew. What...a...day. I got to do things I love to do, things I don't like to do, things I loathe doing. I laughed, cried, and paced. There was the good, the bad, and the ugly. And at the end of this first official Monday of my summer vacation, I find myself looking back on my Monday and being thankful for the blessings and the struggles of the day.

The Good
So much good. So much good.

I got to have lunch with two of my favorite people ever, Sarah and Madeline. I just love the way that our relationship is changing as they grow older. And we so enjoyed our lunch at Chili's. It could have been better if I would have indulged myself in a bacon cheeseburger, french fries, and a big ol' diet coke (as every fiber of my being was screaming for), but I will be proud in the fact that instead I got a "guilt-free" grilled chicken sandwich with a side of steamed broccoli. And proud of my girls for making healthy choices as well. This is something we are working on together, the three of us, this summer.

I got some great reading time in with Hannah and some good snuggle time with Charlotte. I just love to see how Hannah rejoices in finding a book that she can't wait to dive into. Makes a book lover/momma/first grade teachers heart proud. Charlotte wasn't feeling her best today, which is really part of the UGLY, but I did get a cuddle or two, so rare lately, as she is usually eager to get down and explore.

I started tutoring today, and was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. I think I must retract my earlier statement (in which I said I loathe tutoring) and change it to say I do like it when I'm not doing it after I have taught all day and am ready to go get my babies!

And I got to go to the funeral of an amazing man. Now don't get me wrong. I'm sorry he is no longer with us. I am sorry for his family who will miss him dearly. I will miss seeing him around church. But I know without a doubt that he is healthy and living in presence of our Savior, and for that I am glad. It also warmed my heart to see the family, how they came together; the church, how they ministered to the family; and the faith of everyone there. Inspiring. Sweet. Thought-provoking.

The Bad
For the first time ever, Hannah looked up at me with big "don't leave me" eyes when I dropped her off at Kay's this morning. Broke. my. heart. I wanted to scoop her up in my arms and take her with me to the funeral, but I knew she would be fine. But still. Mommy guilt galore!

The Ugly
After a great morning, followed by a good lunch, we went to pick up the little girls from Kay's, only to find Charlotte screaming and pulling on her ear. For those of you who know Charlotte, you know she just doesn't do this. Hannah? Yeah--did it for most of her first year of life, and still on occasion will. But not sweet Charlotte. After a quick call to her pediatrician (who, surprise!, had no appointments available), we ended up at Children's Healthcare Urgent Care ...for three and a half hours. And yes, it was as bad as you are imagining. But, after three and a half hours of singing and walking, we did get to see the doctor for all of 37 seconds and got an antibiotic. Hopefully this will do the trick!

So another Monday is in the books. Over. Done. Kaput.

And as the highly underrated Cowboy Junkies put it,
"Sun comes up, It's Tuesday Morning..." And Tuesday, just has to be a little bit better.