Life: Idiotropic

Happy Mother's Day to all those amazing women out there! I have truly come to the conclusion that motherhood is the hardest job out there. One 24/7/365/until-death-do-us-part and then some job with no real vacations. (I'll save that for another rant...) But, beyond the challenges like sibling rivalry and disdainful bodily fluids of all colors, I am rewarded daily by immeasurable love and humor, and the hugs and kisses of little girls. So, I took pleasure in today. My day.

Luci and Aria had made little gifts at school. A "Best Mom" pillow and a felt tulip from Aria, and a cute little yellow flower pot full of grass from Luci. The woke me up with their treasures. Elise hugged and cuddled. Tiara avoided me a little embarrassed that she didn't have a gift for me, but I understood and I didn't need the gift - it was nice to know that she cared. It was a nice morning. We went to church - an experience that showed a) the generosity of my girls or b) how much they don't like me.

Instead of a story before children's church, the pastor told all the mothers to stand up, then gave the children all long-stemmed red roses to pass out to the moms in the congregation, reminding the children that there are some mothers whose children were not there to give them roses, so they will be able to give roses to more than one mother. I stood there proudly waiting for my two girls, Aria and Luci, to argue a bit over who got to give me my one rose. Arianna got hers. I smiled and watched as she turned and ran down the aisle towards me, then started looking around at other ladies, veered to the other side of the aisle, stopped, and gave her rose to another mother! Luci - my beacon of hope - the one who I hoped would not only appreciate me, but also save me from the embarrassment of standing there - turned beaming in my direction. Yes, I'd be able to sit. Finally, appreciated. No. She ran right to me, then reached over me to give the rose to my mom. Fine. That's appropriate. So I got one more shot. Arianna was already back for her second rose. I, again, was hopeful. And, again, Arianna found another woman to give it to. So, finally, being one of the last women standing, a nice child (not mine) came and put me out of my misery with a red rose. Children. Happy Mother's Day to me.


An uneventful church service followed. Luci and Arianna made hand print art during Sunday School that was still goopy wet when it came home and the kids were lined up telling their mother's what they were thankful for. Luci mumbled. Arianna, I think, thanked me for feeding her. They're such little ego boosters, aren't they?

Cafe Rodebach in Stahe was our breakfast stop. I'd heard about their cakes, but hadn't eaten there. It was a little dingy and small, but ok. The minimal smoke made it bearable. The cakes and ice creams look delicious. The breakfast was nice, but there was no menu which felt odd. I, at least, like to know what I'm getting myself into. Instead, I just ordered fruhstuck for 2 adults and 4 kids and hoped that what came would be enough. It was. Mom and I both got coffee and orange juice. The kids got kakao (hot chocolate) and juice. Then we had a large assortment of brotchen and breads, cheeses and meats, and jellies and nutella to eat. It was good. I ordered a 1/2 strawberry kuchen to take home for later. Then, in spite of impending rain, the 4 girls walked the mile-ish home and mom and I enjoyed a few minutes of quiet at the house before they arrived. That, in and of itself, is a gift greater than any church rose. Looking at my watch and fretting, I opened my door to look for them and saw them coming with a big bouquet of wildflower weeds in their hands - queen anne's lace and buttercups.

The day continued with quiet and a little bit of peace. Tiara kept the little ones quiet long enough for me to doze off which is one of the greatest Mother's Day gifts ever. Kirk was in Italy, so it was just a day for moms and daughters which was very nice.

Below are photos from the sunset that evening. The light was so bright in the windows, it lit up the staircase. There are 13 windmills visible in the photo on the left.