1. Yesterday was a wonderful treat. I woke up to Iris making the family pancakes. We happened to be out of coffee, but when Chris got up he insisted on running to Starbucks and I wasn’t about to argue with him. I remained in my pajamas until 11:30. The twins presented me with flowers that they secretly rode their bikes to purchase the day before. They had a wonderful story to accompany the flowers, involving hurling their bicycles over fences and traveling through cow pastures and the wind nearly destroying the flowers before they made it home. I repotted and newly potted lots of beautiful things. We took a walk around South Hills and very few people complained and even though I’m not currently speaking to my own mother because I don’t know how to have appropriate boundaries with her, she did hand off some flowers and grocery treats to the kids.   I will always appreciate all the sacrifices she has made for myself and my four brothers, but until she can manage to have a healthier personal life, I can’t expose myself and my children to the residual ripple that is caused by her individual choices.  In a perfect world, all our relationships are exactly why we want them to be.
   As we pulled into South Hills I expressed that my only actual Mother’s Day wish would be a picture with all my kids. I give up very easily when I comes to trying to coordinate group pictures or make grumpy kids smile or whatever else is interfering with what every mother truly wants…a captured image of their kids, all together…with herself in there somewhere also. They made it happen, and I love them for it. 
   Then I got real brave and asked Iris to snap one of the only man I’ve ever loved or been in a relationship with and the reason I keep having babies…because he’s such an amazing father and I can’t think of one good reason he shouldn’t be in charge of more people! He makes us turn off the TV and go for bike rides and practice music and plant gardens and organize the garage and I’m just completely crazy about him.
   We attempted to order take out but restaurants were completely swamped, so we went home and used up the Italian sausage that has been in the fridge a few days and had spaghetti and Italian sausage and a beautiful salad (which was all I was really craving) and we all agreed it was better than spending 80 dollars on food someone else prepared. The twins bathed the little guys while Chris and I sat at a camp fire in the yard and after we got them to bed, we ate cheesecake with the older kids. It was, a perfect day.
   Today was back to the quarantine grind. Chris off to work, kids working out the technical glitches of a fully on line education model. Max and Noah building forts in laundry baskets. Me tidying and getting ready for my final week of mission “debt pay off”. I’m $500 dollars away from total credit card freedom. I’m looking forward to only working when I want to or when we need some extra money. I’m looking forward to my home once again becoming my main focus. I’m excited to do some clean out and some purging and some nesting that the broken up nature of gig work prevents me from accomplishing normally. It’s raining and 55 degrees. We’ve been bringing potted flowers in and covering our sad little garden at night as the temperatures have been unreasonably cold at night. Apparently anyone who knows anything about gardening doesn’t plant until after Mother’s Day. We’re learning as we go. I’m 31 weeks pregnant and other than feeling pretty winded after a flight of steps and the occasional lower back/hip discomfort, I’m feeling pretty good. That report will most likely change in about a month, but for now I’m so pleased to be feeling awesome.
   
   Maternity overalls have turned out to be one of my favorite articles of clothing this round. Scored em cheap on eBay. 
   I used to think black and blue, specifically navy weren’t a good match. I’m glad I let that old fashioned belief fall by the wayside, cause this cotton, thrifted sweater has been a cozy option and one that can be stretched over mountainous body parts and recover quite nicely.

I need to go search the freezer for dinner inspiration and delivery someone’s Panera Bread order.  Later.