A classic rainy day!!!

When you've been born and raised in Arizona...over cast rainy days are rare and treasured. So when I woke up this morning to the sound of rain I was excited and started picturing what the day would be like.

Mondays are a 'stay at home day' for us...so in my head I started planning out our perfect rainy day schedule. It was going to be a slow, relaxed, and cozy day...spent mostly in front of the fire. I had spent the evening before creating our Monday schedule, but I was eager to scratch that and change it to a DEAR (drop everything and read) day. When Jarom and Megan woke up not feeling great I felt my impressions to change gears and make it a DEAR day were confirmed. WOO-HOO!! What a day. I've tried this before...I mean tried to actually spend a whole day reading, and I've never made it more than an hour before I have little ones needing this or that. But, today was going to be different.

After making a warm pot of Hot Cereal for the kiddos, doing our devotional with dad, and cleaning up the kitchen I pulled the comfy arm chair over to the fire. The kids had admired the new red leather covered Journeys Through Bookland series that rested in the family room, and actually started asking if I'd read to them out of it. I couldn't believe it. Soon I had all 6 kiddos around me listening to old poems, fables, and stories that seemed to come to life as I read them aloud. Whenever the sun would peek out of the clouds the kids would take a little break and run outside for a bit, and I would start reading something else. We ate a simple lunch that we didn't really pick up very well, because I was to focused on getting back to my reading. Eventually I found myself on the floor with my two babies on my lap, other kids scattered around playing with legos, a totally messy house. I was still reading, and they were still listening. Finally at 5 I finished up 'Silver Locks and the Three Bears' and 'The Boy and the Wolves.'

With my two little ones acting hungry I figured I should start making something for dinner. Usually I feel discouraged and overwhelmed if I haven't started dinner by 5, but not today. No today I was feeling peaceful, happy, and balanced as I approached the task of making dinner and cleaning up the house. I had put my priorities where they needed to be. I had successfully read most of the day...and I was stinking happy inside. To some, my day may have looked like a total disaster with no tangible accomplishments to mark my success, but to me it was one of the best days in February!!