My Castle Heart Publications

How many of you parents out there can relate to this terrible, horrible, so good, very awesome day?

The terrible, horrible:

1. I barely slept a wink in the morning, thanks to a baby temporarily replaced by a fountain of puke.
2. I ventured out of bed to the screaming cries of my toddler demanding she needed two vitamins. (Yeah, we’re mean like that.)
3. I was informed my credit card was hacked, toppling a whole auto-pay structure that makes life remotely manageable.
4. While out to lunch at a restaurant, my toddler delightedly spotted a silver fish on our table.
5. A rambunctious craft project ruined our paints to the extent they had to be tossed.
6. My husband had an evening event that required me to do double-duty bedtime.
7. The baby went to bed an hour late, thanks to an afternoon nap strike.
8. Upon the toddler’s bedtime, we discovered she had an old splinter so deep, I had the joy of digging it out with a needle.
9. Not surprisingly, the toddler want to bed an hour late after that trauma.
10. I passed out on the couch two pages into my novel before crawling to bed to do it all over again.

But I barely care about any of that. You know what stuck with me? What left me smiling at the end of the day?

The so good, very awesome:

1. My son swinging for the first time–cycling through the stages of trepidation, curiosity, and exuberance that come with so many new experiences in his little life.
2. The same son proceeding to sleep through lunch, so that my daughter and I could enjoy a lovely chat.
3. The gloomy fall day bursting into sunshine just in time for crafts on our back deck. While the toddler immersed herself in wonder, the baby eagerly watched.
4. Our outside craft time allowing me a brief glimpse into the post-toddler version of my daughter: peaceful, creative, and ridiculously charming.
5. Watching Big Sister spoon feed Little Brother with great care and joy.
6. The sun continuing to shine on my daughter, in full Wonder Woman regalia, on our evening dog walk.
7. Taking a moment to observe our long twilight shadows and discuss the particular shade of gold in the air.
8. My daughter telling me she missed me before she was born. I assured her the feeling was mutual.
9. Cuddling both of my kids at bedtime while reading from Charlotte’s Web, one of my all-time favorite kid tales.
10. Putting my son to sleep with song and my daughter to sleep with her favorite yoga moves.

That’s how parenthood is, isn’t it? Hell, that’s how life is. You have the good, bad, exhausting, and everything in between. It’s what we remember, what sticks to our hearts, that really counts.

Wishing you a terrible, horrible, so good, very awesome day.
Angela

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