Eating Bon Bons

       Stay at home moms just sit around eating bon bons all day. So they say! I don’t know how true that statement is but let me tell you what I’ve been up to. So it all started one warm October day, my son expressed that his heart’s desire was to be a Lego man for Halloween and not just any Lego man but a master builder Lego man. So what is a mom to do, explain to her child she does not have time to make a MBA Lego man costume, admit she would rather eat bon bons all day, or rise to the occasion? Yep! That is right I couldn’t resist. How could I let my oldest child, my little Lego man not live out his dream? So there I was sweating in the sun measuring every centimeter of a Lego man, converting that into inches, cutting out cardboard pieces to match, and wondering “why am I doing this?”. Well let me tell you because after countless hours of crafting cardboard, duct tape, foam wreaths, contact cement, oatmeal boxes, toilet paper rolls, poster board, popsicle sticks, and paint into a scaled replica of the Lego MBA man, it was worth it. Not only did my son love it and could not stop looking at himself in the mirror but with tears in his eyes he said I was the best mom in the world repeatedly. Did you hear me repeatedly, not just some casual yeah you’re the best. No, repeatedly, wholeheartedly, sincerely the” best mom”! Judge my mothering all you want, say the good, say the bad, and give your trophies to another. I don’t care. Did you hear what my son said?

      Anyway, Halloween day came and it was pouring rain and my son had a dilemma. Wear his Lego man costume with pride and joy for one great day and come home with it destroyed from the rain or resort to being Darth Vader for the second year. After countless hours of crafting all month for one Halloween day there I was with an umbrella trick or treating with Darth Vader. So was it worth it? Absolutely! I didn’t do it for Halloween. I didn’t do it so I could write this blog. I did it for my son. I did it for the smile on his face, the tears in his eyes, and the file in his memory bank. And besides we still ended up with a bowl full of Halloween candy.

      A picture is worth a thousand words so close your eyes and visualize this for me. A sick eighteen month old on my hip wet wash cloth on her forehead thermometer under her arm being held by the same hand that is holding her on my hip, one foot standing on a towel mopping up a water spill, a three year old pulling at my other  leg crying because her sister won’t share a toy, a thirty week old fetus in my womb,  the phone squeezed between my ear and shoulder talking to any adult that will listen, my free hand is browning ground beef for dinner, and somewhere in between two fingers is a snickers bar I stole from my kids Halloween bucket and I am enjoying ever little bite. And I’ll probably even have another one! No I don’t feel guilty and yes it is worth it, because what you didn’t see was the smile on my face and the invisible crown on my head that says ‘best mom in the world’.

      It’s funny but I searched through the entire Halloween bucket and I couldn’t find one bon bon. I think I need to bring my beginning statement up to date. Stay at home moms eat their kid’s Halloween candy all day. Not only is being a mom the best job in the world but my son said I’m the best mom in the world and I am holding on to his  words as long as I can. So while you sit there denying that you eat your kid’s Halloween candy , please excuse me, I need to go dust off my invisible crown!