Mother's Day '14... aka Best Laid Plans, well you know...

The plan was for me to swing back by the house after church and pick up the boys and Bill for an Mother's Day picnic lunch and plan to visit the Duke Lemur Center.  The plan had involved the below treasure hunt map complete with details of the day including the phrase, "monkeys throwing poop."

How many other mother's day celebrations involved the potential for monkeys throwing poop?  While not completely jazzed about walking around looking at lemurs, I had wanted to do something as a family that Bill would actually want to do.  While that might sound bad, I also can tell you that after 18 years of marriage, divide and conquer is the usual strategy with the kids on the weekends. It is rare that we all four are anywhere more than a couple of hours outside our house. All family events must be well planned and have hopeful high payoff for all parties. Being outside for loud, active boys is a plus. What better place than a local Lemur conservatory and a picnic to start.

I get home from church to find Bill cleaning up vomit and Ian laying on the floor of his room.  It appears in the short time span of excited children giving me a ninja cat card with sound of "Kung Fu Fighting" and returning from church, much had transpired. Bill attributed the vomit to the fact that Ian and Ben split a large pizza for dinner on Saturday night.  I attributed it to what I hoped would be a short stomach bug. I proceeded to cancel plans with our friends we had planned to meet and call the Duke Lemur Center to give away our 2 pm spot. By giving away our spot we are back on a wait list for a June weekend to open up for which I am hoping for Father's Day weekend.

While bummed, the day was not a total loss, Bill helped me powerwash the front porch.  I had scrubbed the back porch and deck solo last weekend, but didn't even have time to start on the front.  Whether he helped out due to feeling bad about the lost day, it was appreciated and unexpected.  

Ian cycled sleeping and puking until early afternoon and after a monster nap, was his normal self by dinner.   While obviously not at school today, I think (and hope) he will be ok for tomorrow.  Bill and I are splitting the workday so neither of us have to take a full day in the midst of deadlines and last day before AP Exam prep with students. If last night is any indicator, I found Ben and Ian hanging off the bathroom door jumping into the tub doing cannon balls into the water.  If all goes well today, I hope Ian is back tomorrow. This is after all the kid who had 5 stitches last Mother's Day.

Ben also had really great behavior yesterday, even after the disappointment of not seeing monkeys throw poop at each other.   Needless to say I really oversold this point to the boys.

Was it an ideal mother's day, nope.  Did it involve an emergency room and stitches like last year?  Nope.
Did Bill remind me that Mother's day (like Valentine's Day) is a commercial glut designed by corporate America to line the pockets of the card and flower industry, yep.  But, his actions reminded me that helping out with a sick kid as well as helping me with the house was likely better than any gift he could buy.