Welcome Home, Nana

My mom, Saint Nana, comes over to the house a few times a week to prevent a complete structural breakdown. She provides moral support, laundry support, and gives me the chance to get some errands done. This system has worked flawlessly for months, both when I was working outside the home and now that I'm shackled inside it.

Until now. Saint Nana decided (without checking with me, I might add) to go visit my sister in Mississippi. Dedicated readers will remember that my sister is a great cook and that her phone number is 5. What you might not know is that my sister has two boys that are 18 months apart. She managed to wrangle these boys without the benefit of a Nana in close proximity, which is a cross I am delighted not to bear.

For 6 full days, I ran this house with no help from St. Nana. We joked that we would be waiting on the driveway, dirty and hungry, for her to come back and help us. My sister could be heard in the background during these conversations, expressing derisively that she somehow managed to keep her children alive without this help; but as a skinny person, she has no credibility with me.

Today, St. Nana returned to us. Praise be! Now, despite our joking around, I have done quite well in her absence. Everyone has been fed, watered and bathed frequently. The laundry is done for the most part, and I have even managed to learn a new recipe. I was quite looking forward to showing off my abilities as a domestic diva...

Fate intervened. Darling daughter had been entertaining herself by building a castle out of baby bottles and some half full glasses of water. When the castle inevitably met it's watery end, she raced into the room where I was feeding the baby and announced "Mom, I'm all wet!" I helped her peel off her soaked shirt, and she declared that her pants were also too wet to wear. I told her to go pick out a new outfit, but she decided that being naked was much more fun.

Moments later, Nana pulled into the driveway. She was greeted at the door by a naked three year old, a howling dog, a crying baby and a sheepish me. The naked three year old expressed her delight at seeing Nana again by showing off her "sweet moves" and "shaking her booty". So much for my domestic agenda...

An hour or so later, Nana found the broom and was sweeping the remains of last night's project (graham crackers with icing and sprinkles) off the kitchen floor. She explained that the sprinkles were sticking to her feet. I'm still surprised that the sprinkles would bother her when she was covered in dog fur...but I'm grateful, as always, for any help I can get.

We're glad you're back, Nana!