Mamma Miller

It started as a nickname for my Mom when she was in town after my gallbladder surgery but now the name could possibly be applied to me and my life over the past week. Not just babysitting or being the nanny. No. I have been with these kids day in and day out for 8 days while their parents are on vacation in Barcelona. Oh it has been a week. Getting up early. Making breakfast. Packing lunches. Doing laundry. Cleaning up after everyone. Walking the dog (who doesn't like to be walked for some odd reason). Grocery shopping. Running errands. I was able to still work a couple shifts at Gulu which was exhausting but good.  In my free time I met up with Michael for a breakfast date and also pampered myself by paying a visit to my favorite salon in Salem. You know, typical things that a mom does during the day. What I found most fascinating were the play dates. I had heard tell of these activities but had never really experienced how overwhelming they could be. For example at one point this weekend I had five children with me on an escapade to the local ice cream store. Me, the mother of five? It was a little too much. It made me realize how very fortunate I was to have been raised in a family of four kids. The expense alone is out-of-control. How my mom and dad did it I'll never know but this week has given me a whole new perspective on what it means to raise children. It is exhausting difficult work, nothing to be taken lightly. But I also got to experience some of the joys of parenting. Every night before bed we read. The book is a simple story, very imaginative and the kids love it. We snuggle up together and read for a good 40 minutes before I send them off to their respective beds to then read quietly and slowly fall sleep. I don't think there's anything better than snuggling with precious children while reading a story and experiencing that calm that comes after a long day and it's finally time for bed. While these children have been anything but precious angels, in those minutes of calm and relaxation before bed I am reminded of why I do want to raise kids of my own someday. It is a beautiful thing to be a parent. And at the end of the day even when you're exhausted you still get to look at the precious little ones and say to yourself they're mine.  That feeling is priceless. So thanks Mom and Dad for all you did for me; for being brave enough to raise four incredible children. I salute you.