It happened when I was in the shower. Of course! If an atomic bomb hits the house, it will be when I’m in the shower. There’s no way it would happen any other way. I step in with fear and trembling each and every day. It’s a miracle that I shower at all. Okay, okay, I digress.
Pounding was heard from my bedroom door as I turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. I threw a towel around me and opened the door. Joy shared the news of the morning, “Mommy, Bobby threw up.”
“Oh no! I’ll be right out. Just let me get dressed. Is he okay?”
“Oh yes, he’s okay. We’ve taken care of everything.”
To those words I shut the door. As I hurried into some clothes, the words went round and round in my mind. “We’ve taken care of everything.” What could that mean exactly?
Sure enough. Faith had cleaned up the carpet with paper towels and had altogether eliminated the floor of the mess. Joy had taken Bobby’s soiled clothes off and put them in the laundry. Grace ran and grabbed a towel to put around him and bucket for him to throw up in.
When I made it upstairs, there sat my youngest completely taken care of. Grace was in the bathroom disposing of the second time Bobby had gotten sick and was quietly rinsing out the bucket. In awe I watched her bring it back and place it in his hands. My boy sat happily watching cartoons.
I will not forget this day. Motherhood with young kids can be so discouraging, daily doing the things you think are best and rarely seeing immediate results. And then one day they will surprise you. They will step up and go above and beyond what you expect. This was my moment, one of them any way.
I have to remember the ways they are growing up and becoming responsible and praise them for it. And when my job as a mom gets frustrating as it often does, I need to remember that they are learning much more than I think they are. One day soon they will surprise me again!
As you all hear so many of our embarrassing, crazy, and otherwise less than stellar happenings, I think it’s only right to also tell some of the great things about our family too though, I admit; I have a much harder time sharing those great things. But for my kids’ sake and for other discouraged mamas out there, keep working. Your work is not in vain!

Aww.. Love it!
Yup. Thought I had my daughter all settled in to a movie. I get in the shower, lathered up then hear whaling. No time for towel, ran downstairs, daylight, curtains open. She stubbed her toe. I calmed her down, finished shower, get out and she’s upset that I got the carpet wet when I was trying to come to the rescue. Can’t win. Oh well.