A good day

I don't often post without a picture, but today was one of those days I want to remember, especially when the next day rolls around that I'm not wanting to remember so clearly.

First, we had a good old-fashioned dose of sibling rivalry at our house yesterday, coupled with fatigue and lots of together time (yesterday was a school holiday for Sarah), leaving Mom (me) exhausted and wondering why my sweet daughters insist on fighting so much lately. This is a fairly new dynamic for the girls, and the way I'm handling it is clearly not effective (any advice is VERY welcome!). Days like yesterday chip away at my mommy-confidence and strengthen my desperate desire to raise girls that are not only sisters but truly good friends. Well, today was the sunshine behind the clouds of yesterday. They played together, shared without my constant reminders and laughed together ... the kind of belly-laughing that makes you laugh just because you hear it. Oh, it was music to my ears! In my short journey of motherhood I've learned that when there's a challenging day/week/month, don't give up hope because something good and rewarding is around the corner. Now if I can only remember that when the next round of squabbling starts!

The other highlight from today was what I refer to as my "paycheck." At dinner tonight, Julia reached over and touched my arm and said, "You're a beautiful mom." It was the most angelic thing she's ever said to me (believe me, there have been plenty of un-angelic things too! :) I wouldn't trade any monetary amount, job title or corner office for those sweet words spoken by one of my kids. I've been a stay-at-home-mom for over five years and can say with all sincerety that I wouldn't rather be doing any other job than the one I'm doing right now. Words of affirmation are definitely one of my top love languages, and Julia spoke to my heart tonight, and I'm feeling very loved!