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It is really difficult to write another post after receiving that many comments on my last one. (OK, so 5 of them were my own comments... ) I feel like George Costanza who has reached the top of his game: "I'll be here all week!"

But, there was an incident today that I believe deserves mention. (And it doesn't even have anything to do with picking out legware for my outfit. I'm wearing nude hose, by-the-way, with ratty sweatpants...and taaalll black boots ;-)

Last week the Ward Activity Committee Co-Chair asked me to help with decorations for the upcoming ward "winter beach party" activity. I always need a good excuse to leave the house, so my response was exhuberant. I attended the preliminary planning meeting, we decided upon the "look" and "feel", divvied up responsibilities, and arranged to meet back at the church today to work on our projects.

This all requires taking my children with me to the church "cultural hall" (would LOVE to find out the reasoning behind that name...I would have called it the "mostly-British-Isles-and-some- Scandinavian Hall".) One might think this would be an ideal setting for the kids to run around and play, while mom actually gets something done. How wrong you would be. My kids see "space" as something to fill with noise and chaos. Thus, the larger the space...the larger the noise and chaos. Whoa is me.

You can't even begin to understand how fun the prospect of creating huge, colorful paper kites (with flowing tails!) was for me. (I must admit to being crafty, and enjoying it.) This was my assignment, and I was determined to impress.

Unfortunately for me, 16-month-old Oscar decided he wanted to be held the entire time. What should have taken an hour and a half stretched into 3. Oscar was either feeling unusually tired, or terribly intimidated by my crafting abilities: He would NOT let me show my skills! I remained calm, pretended like his crocodile tears didn't phase me, and even balanced him precariously on my back to get those kites done.

Towards the end I had to go to the car to get something new to entertain Oscar. When I returned, a very well-meaning sister we'll call Becky was sitting in my seat picking up where I left off with the kites. In this somewhat awkward situation (Oscar still crying...and I will NOT conceed defeat!) I tried to gain control of my craft project. "I can finish," I told her. She stammered something and backed away. I knew I had embarassed her. :( I know she was just trying to help.

One puffy faced toddler and seven gorgeous kites later... I knew I should apologize to Becky and thank her for trying to help. "Sometimes I just need to prove to myself that I can get something done that I have committed to doing, despite the kids' chaos." Her response is the reason for this post:

"I completely understand. (And I believe her at this point...she has 3 kids of her own, though older than mine.) I have a neighbor with MS. Every time my kids see her out working in the garden they say to me, 'Mom, are you just gonna let her do that all by herself? We should help her.' But, I tell them, 'No, sometimes people need to do things for themselves, just to prove that they can.' "

:PAUSE:

My brain thinking: "Is she comparing my children to a horrible, debilitating, deteriorating disease??!" I was trying hard to nod and look like that didn't phase me.

Blunt I may be...but there's nothing you can really say to respond to that. So I left it alone. After all, maybe my kids are a bit naughty (certainly not "horrible") and a bit "debilitating". As for "deterioration"...things can only get better from here!