Day 14 and some bonus rambling

Remember when I said I would regale you with stories of Smiley Face Cookies and Wacky Pack Wednesday's? Well, today you get 50% of that. Today is Wednesday, so I am at work all day. Then, at 5:00 tonight is Bill's work Christmas party, and the kids have AWANA, so I will not get to spend much time with them. I hate that. Grandma Casey is going to give them dinner and take them to AWANA> So, anyway, I picked them up smiley face cookies from the bakery as their special Advent treat. They seemed excited enough that I only felt a smidge of guilt.

So, they didn't have smiley face cookies, but the kids thought I was a rock star for the santa ones. Win/win

Now, I bet you just assumed that would be the end of my post today, right? Wrong. I am feeling wordy, so there is something that I want to discuss. Well, one-sidedly of course, this is a blog, not a panel discussion. But we're all friends, right? I love you all, and I so very very much appreciate it when you leave me comments, whether it's on the blog or facebook, but I want to make sure that none of you have any incorrect perceptions. I don't want you to read my blog and say, "wow! She's amazing, I want to be more like her! Secretly I hate her a little bit because she is doing all of this for her kids, and I am not." I don't want my blog to make people feel badly about themselves. Now, maybe none of you are thinking that and all of this wordiness is for naught. If that's the case, feel free to move on, catch up on the newest episode of Psych, and forget I said anything. But, I just want to make sure that I am not giving false illusions. I have blogs that I read and sometimes I can't read because I feel like they are so put together and my life couldn't possibly live up to them--why can't I look this cute all the time, why can't I be this holy and peaceful all the time, why can't I develop a healthy relationship with food, like this person? The list goes on and on. I don't want people thinking that I am creative, or energetic, or a better mom than the next person. I am tired, disorganized, disheveled at least 4 days of the week, constantly battling the 300 lb man that lives inside of me, cranky, and impatient. However, I, like all of you, love my children with my entire heart and soul. I would die for them. So, with an incredible amount of help from Grandma Casey, Grandma Hoo Hoo, and most of all from the most unbelievably patiently helpful, and amazing husband in the world, I am working my way through Advent, even if it physically kills me (which at times, I have thought it might), to give my children memories of a mom whom, while full of imperfections and flaws, loves them even more than myself (and I can be pretty selfish). And, I know, that those of you who have commented on facebook and on my blog (you know who you are), are just as amazing and your kids look at you with the same love and awe as mine, and don't see the same flawed person that you see when you look in the mirror. Ok, thank you, if you have stayed and read this whole thing. Now, since flattery gets you everywhere with me, leave me a comment about how much more amazing I am than you even thought before--and you can throw in a "you're pretty" if you want, and I will consider us BFF's for life.