Relax!

I got a massage today. It's been a long time since I treated myself (I actually used a gift card Brad gave me for Valentine's day!) and I'd forgotten how nice massages are. A full hour with no children and no guilt for not doing something productive while they are gone. I laid on the table and let my mind wander. I'm not even sure what I thought about during that hour.. maybe nothing. I do know that I left feeling better both physically and mentally. My aches and pains were massaged away and my mind was refreshed.

It was a quick return to reality. I picked up the little girls from daycare and hoped to run a couple of errands. No such luck. They were both fast asleep. So I dragged them into the house, hoping they'd keep sleeping and I could fold the laundry. No such luck. Lizzy woke up and needed to snuggle and at the same time, Morgan woke up and needed to eat. So there I was... stuck in my recliner with two sleeping babies on my lap. Somehow I managed to get my laptop on my lap too, so at least I had something to do while they slept. But, that too was short lived. We had just a few minutes of cuddling before it was time to get the big kids from school. So I loaded two crabby kids into the van and headed to school. I blame the massage for what happened next.. I was obviously still too relaxed to think about what I was doing. I took all four of my kids, plus the neighbor kid, to the mall to run the errands we didn't do earlier. Believe it or not, we got everything done in record time, and everyone actually behaved!

Then...the most stressful part of the day.. and the reason I may need another massage tomorrow... we took our family pictures tonight. I've been procrastinating them because Lizzy HATES pictures. She can not behave, no matter how we bribe her. This time we had a friend (who also happens to run a photography business out of his basement..it's all who you know!) take our pictures. Surprisingly, they turned out ok. If nothing else, he managed to capture the "real" us. And that's ok. If I learned anything during my one hour of peace and relaxation today, it's that my life is not perfect, so my Christmas picture doesn't have to be either. So what if the two year old is making a funny face or the baby's eyes are closed? Those are small details that I don't have time to worry about.. I'm just happy all six of us were in the picture and that we got it taken before Christmas. My next goal is to get those pictures and cards mailed before Christmas... but first... I think I'll schedule another massage.