It's A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Today was utterly surreal.

It began with quiet reading of books intended only for something to read, not to intellectually stimulate me in any way (some would call it junk reading, that mindless process where you read stuff that's fun). When my husband woke up, he pitched in to help clean the house. We tackled the livingroom and dining room.

But... oh my, THE CHILDREN. It was Invasion of the Body Snatchers. These kids had been replaced, I swear. They cleaned their rooms WITHOUT COMPLAINT until all that was left was for me to sweep them. Then we went to do some light shopping, and they tagged along merrily behind us, my daughter on my cell phone talking to Grandma and Grandpa, my son dazzling passers-by with his 1000-watt smile and a shy little wave. We then went to McDonald's for lunch (it was either this or Chick Fil-A, but Mickey-D's has cold coffee now). The kids sat quietly while I ordered, came in quietly, and ate quietly until they were finished, and then proceeded to play nicely with the other kids there. The only comments before this were:

Izzy: "Daddy, there are 15 people here."
Eli: "Can I have some ketchup too, for my fries, please?"
Izzy: "Mommy, I don't want any more blue juice [Powerade, for those that don't speak Izzy]. Can I have some ice water instead?"

WHO ARE THESE KIDS? Certainly not mine. It's been a little Twilight Zone today. Because we came home, Izzy quietly played her game while Eli took a nap, then we went to the park and Izzy learned how to swing by herself.

No fighting. No pushing. No hitting. No back-talking. No attitude. I mentioned the word "quietly" four times in reference to my children, and if any of you know them, you know how I must feel at an utter loss for words.

It was like seeing the other side. The way I know most other parents live on a daily basis, and even complain about. One or two extremely minor scuffles considering how they normally act, but the rest of the day... a breath of fresh air. Smiling, engaged kids. Friendly. Sweet. Obedient.

I'm still kinda floating. Especially since we got to go out for dinner tonight, and they continued to be good for the babysitter, playing Go Fish and Candy Land until it was time for bed. Bry and I got gussied up and went to the Pregnancy Resource Center of Fort Bend's spring charity dinner. It was amazing.

Speaking of which, visit their website by clicking on this sentence. I was amazed at the impact this organization is having. They are really making waves! We committed to a monthly donation, and both Bry and I want to carve out an hour here or there to go help them with whatever we can. For those of you who know me well, you know that this issue has always been a "button" for me. I'm very convicted and very opinionated. It will make my blood boil faster than any other, and it did long before I really became a Christian. My view always just made sense to me.

So check out their site, and if you can spare something, anything, please help their cause. I plan to donate on an ever-increasing level as my budget allows. And if I were to suddenly become rich, I can tell you that every single life-based pregnancy center in the US would receive an ultrasound machine on me.

Anyway, about those mindless books... I've been reading the demon series by Julie Kenner. Like I said, mindless entertainment. I relate to Kate. She's a stay-at-home mom balancing a toddler, carpools, her husband's career, and fighting demons. She drives an Odyssey (YAY!). She gives in to her kids too much. She *ehermmm* enjoys the man she's married to. And she loves her family so much that she comes out of retirement with a secret arm of the Vatican to kick major demon butt in order to protect them. Fun stuff.

I also just got done reading a few books by Philippa Gregory. I read The Boleyn Inheritance and The Virgin's Lover. Out of order, I know, but that's all the library had. I didn't have time to read Queen's Fool, but Dori, I'm taking you up on that offer to read it. Bring it to church tomorrow, okay?

Yeah, as if you're reading this thing at 10:30 on a Saturday night. *ppfffttt* Oh, well. Bring it whenever you can. I can wait, I think.

I've got a couple of other mindless books to keep me occupied until then.