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Sing me a bed-time song, Mommy.

What would you like me to sing?

Twinkle, Twinkle! The silly way — make lotsa jokes of it! An’ don’t forget the doormouse!

Oh… I’m not sure if I remember…

Yes you do, yes you do! I know you do!

Hmmmm… Twinkle, twinkle little jar how I wish you were a star…

Nooooooo!! Sillier, Mommy, sillier!

Oh… right… Twinkle, twinkle little cow, how I wish you’d moo right now…

That’s it! Keep singin’ it silly to me!

Up above the world you dance, oh I wish I had the chance… to tuck you snugly in my bed, I think that I will name you Fred. How was that?

Jess right! Don’t forget the doormouse!

There’s a doormouse?

Yes! You know, like at Alice’s tea party!

Oh, THAT doormouse.

Yes, I was afraid you’d forgot. An’ don’t forget to sing it in the squeaky voice like the doormouse does!

Twinkle, twinkle… little bat… how I wonder what you’re at… up above the world you fly… like a tea-tray in the sky…

That was lovely, you cute little doormouse! Did I ever tell you that I have the most adorable cat?

CAT!!!! Cat-cat-cat! caaaaaaaat… catacatacat! CAAAAAAAATTT!!

Oh dear! I did it again, didn’t I? Don’t worry! Here’s the jam for your silly little nose!

CAT!! Caaaaa… ooooo… jam…

Better?

Much. Thank You.

Perhaps you better sneak out now before I forget again.

Yes, perhaps I better. Good night, and thank you for the lovely tea party.

Good night, Mommy. I love you. Leave the hall light on please?

Of course. I love you too, good night.

Bit of an unusual bed-time routine at that, but it’s home…

(Inspiration for this little bit of lunacy credited to Miss Alice, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare and special thanks to the Doormouse. Oh, and to those reading here, if you’ve never sat in one of the Mad Hatter’s immensely entertaining tea parties, consider yourself invited and click to play video below. The Doormouse makes three appearances in the tea party: At 40 seconds, at 3 minutes, and at 4 minutes 18 seconds into the video clip. Note: Video link may not be available if you are viewing this post in a reader or in email.)

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F.Y.I… this is what happens when you combine Jane O’Connor’s whimsical Fancy Nancy books with infomercials and homeschool spelling lessons.

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I don’t know how it happened, really.

This road has been anything but pristine.

It’s often dark.

Sometimes lonely.

Always long.

There have been places where the pavement is all chewed up and near impassable.

There have been washed-out bridges.

White-knuckle blind corners.

Dark foggy stretches that have left me straining to catch sight of an exit ramp.

There have been pot-holes.

Claustrophobic tunnels.

And the occasional traffic jam.

There have been detours, switch-backs and rock-slides.

And sometimes the collective dearth of perfection weighs heavy on my soul.

Sometimes I get a little homesick.

Travel-weary.

Because while I do not know the course of the road ahead, I know where it leads.

I know the Creator who crafted it.

And I trust Him.

I believe Him when He says He has a plan for me. For my family.

And so somehow, somewhere along this imperfect road, my understanding and expectations have shifted.

Somewhere along this winding path I have learned to greet beauty with gratitude.

To treasure it and hold it dear rather than assimilating it with indifference as if it were my due.

I’ve learned to recognize true beauty when I see it. To trace out its form amongst the rubble of distraction.

Somewhere along the way, I’ve grown to love this road…

For teaching me about the dearness of joy through pain.

The preciousness of laughter through tears.

The pricelessness of contentment through longing.

About the matchlessness of hope, of perseverance and of grace.

For reminding me…

Of the unending faithfulness of the Author of my journey.

“One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon–instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.”

~Dale Carnegie

parenting children motherhood kids SAHM

The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful.

~E.E. Cummings

parenting children motherhood kids SAHM

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Additional proof that 7-year-olds don’t miss much…

“Mom, I think that stinging jellyfish are really pretty, but they prob-ly aren’t so very fun to be with. There’s people that are kinda like that too, huh?”

Indeed.

parenting children motherhood kids SAHM