For The Moms...

Who sometimes get discouraged.

What Have I Done?
What have I done in my life, I ask,
What have I done that is grand?
I have not dazzled unnumbered crowds
Or starred in a chart-topping band.
I’ve not made speeches of grand design
Nor inspired numbers untold.
I’ll never travel the world around
Or win an Olympic Gold.

What have I done in my life, I ask.
No doting fans shout my name.
Or even whisper it soft and low
And reverence the awe of my fame.
I’ve never done anything great in life,
Never been better than good.
I am not best at even one thing.
What I’ve done is what anyone could.

I wash dishes, sweep, wipe noses all day.
Read stories, stop fights, and brush hair.
What have I done in my life, I ask,
As I yell for the twelfth time to SHARE!
I hear others talk of the things that they do,
The great goings-on of their lives.
They walked the Great Wall, danced at the ball.
I put away forks and knives.

What have I done in my life, I ask,
As I tuck in my toddler to rest.
He reaches up and kisses my cheek,
And says, “Mommy, you’re the best.”
No trip round the world, no medal of gold
Match up to those four words sweet.
My life can’t be measured by what I’ve not done,
But the lives that I’ve tucked in to sleep.

Wouldn't it be nice?

Dear Charlotte,
I just ran across the best job in the world. SOMEBODY is going to be paid $105,000 to live in beautiful Australia for six months and blog about how awesome it is. No, really. It's not even a joke. Here is the link. I could totally go for this. I wonder if Ben would consider skipping the first four months of work next year? Or if the school would even let him....Heck! We'll live off of the pay for a year and THEN he can go back to work, eh?

A Good Reason to Proofread...

In a political opinion article I was reading, I found this:

And Obama, who opted not to take pubic financing as McCain did, is struggling to raise the cash he needs through massive, and increasingly distracting fund-raising efforts.

Um, I think I would have opted out like Obama. How embarrasing.

Seasons of Love

You may not have known (or maybe you did) that I have several loves in my life (aside from friends and family of course). These include scrapbooking, making jewelry, writing children's books, and the occasional sewing project. Not to mention singing and dancing and reading! Ben says I try to do too much. He's probably right. I always have to have at least one thing going, so this is his suggestion: Devote each season to a different hobby. So in winter it's jewelry, spring it's scrapbooking and so on. Too bad I'm just not that kind of person! When a story idea or a new jewelry design or the urge to scrapbook hits, I've just gotta do it - I can't wait for the right season to come along! But maybe I will be better about not taking time I should be spending with my family to do these things. Maybe. We'll see.