Supermom

Today, I was Supermom.

I don't normally feel that way when both kids are home - I usually struggle to keep both happy/occupied/stimulated - or at least feel as though I'm struggling.

But today was perfection.

It does help when everyone wakes up in good moods... including me. Breakfast was good, and the iced coffee was even better (continued thanks to my favorite new friend: Keurig). And in retrospect, the continued caffeine throughout the day surely didn't hurt my "supermom" feelings. I wonder what I'd be like on speed or crack. (Kidding, mom... just kidding).

Fernando left for work and we cleaned up after breakfast. Daniel and I hopped in the shower while Violet bounced in the jumparoo a few feet away. He loves bathtime, and she didn't seem to mind the separation, happily bouncing to her own sung songs. We dried off, got dressed and headed to the grocery store. (Fernando had taken my keys to work too, by accident, so some office friends stopped by for a key delivery and fun little hello! Thanks, ladies!)

The grocery store can be a wonderful or horrible place. With one child, it's usually a fun outing and even an educational field trip. With two kids, well... just roll the dice and see what happens. And today, it was magical. Violet happily snuggled in the sling and Daniel sat in the cart, cataloging and organizing everything we tossed in there with him. Once we ran out of room for a 39 pound kiddo in the shopping cart, he hopped out, we paid and headed for the car - Daniel ever the gentleman, wanting to help me unload everything and help Violet with anything she needed (she dropped her yellow guitar toy repeatedly... I think she enjoys having Daniel at her beck and call.)

Which brings me to my next point. Daniel has been an angel the past few days. I know preschool is a good environment for a lot of reasons, but when he's home, his behavior just improves. Plain and simple. He's not picking up bad habits from other kids and he takes his direction solely from me. He answers all requests with a happy "Yes, Mommy!"... he requests family hugs and kisses often... he takes care of his sister without being asked... he opens doors for us... he doesn't require any time outs... I simply couldn't ask for better behavior.

But I digress. Where was I? Oh yes - groceries.

We got home and made a yummy lunch of fried eggs, purple grapes and strawberry tamales (thanks, TK!) and while Violet and Daniel ate in the kitchen, I cleaned out the fridge and put groceries away. We had some fun loud music on (Salvador) and spent most of lunchtime dancing and laughing together.

I am quickly becoming an expert on putting two kids down for naps at the same time. Step 1: Exhaust both with lots of activity and pushing naps back a little... 12:30 is ideal. Step 2: Allow Daniel and extra 10 minutes to finish lunch while I give Violet a few ounces of milk - she's usually so tired she's out cold after 5 minutes of rocking. Step 3: Get Daniel ready and enjoy the alone time with him to read books and cuddle. Step 4: Wake up in Daniel's bed thirty minutes later after having fallen asleep with him. Step 5: Enjoy 60-90 minutes of time sans kiddos to clean, email, eat, etc.

Today I used that time to do two loads of laundry, one load of dishes, lots of phone calls, and I even started my photography business. Not too shabby, I'd say.

After naps we headed out again for more errands. This time Wal-Mart and Urgent Care to pick up some allergy medication. And can I just say that I am loving running errands with two kids. I thought I'd hate it... but it's just an absolute ball. There is something about that ratio - me with two of them - that is fun, rewarding, exciting. It requires creativity and energy - and I love that challenge.

Daniel sat up front in the cart at Wal-Mart, and with Violet in the sling, we were all close together. We laughed so hard we nearly cried, reciting the candy-eating parts of one of our favorite books: Little Pea.

And just when the day couldn't get better, we met Fernando at Sonic for ice-cream. The weather was perfect (as was the coconut cream shake)!

We sat around the family table for dinner, dancing like crazy people to African music, one of those magical bonding moments where we are all laughing with our mouths full, making up new dance moves and not caring how insane we look.

Days like today make me want to make this a lifestyle - not just a maternity leave novelty. If only!