Breakfast Pie

Well, my Friday plans were thrown for a complete loop this morning. Three minutes before my alarm was due to go off - with a little girl snuggled on each side of me - nature called loudly. I will spare you the details except to say...I was sick. Very, disgustingly sick.

Gene wasn't home, which meant that I had a little audience until I ran them off. I would've allowed them Halloween candy for breakfast just to get them to go away, but thankfully, the allowance of cartoons did the trick.

Several pitiful texts and phone calls later, Gene came home bearing Sprite (I wonder...does anyone actually drink Sprite or ginger ale when they're not sick?!) And several hours later, I'm feeling better, but not sure it's completely past. I'm sequestered to my bedroom by my wonderful husband, who demanded that I sleep while he take care of the girls. I'm not deaf yet, though, and I can hear his new racing game droning on the Xbox downstairs. Besides, I'm not sleepy. And when I'm stuck in bed and not tired, I start thinking...

I've been thinking that I opened my big fat mouth a couple of days ago and posted a long tirade about Philippians 4:8-9 and how I would adjust my own attitude, and then this comes along. So let's put it to the test, shall we?

Whatever is true - well, it's true that I'm sick. That seems like a lousy thing to focus on, though. So how about...it's true that I have an entire day that it is now utterly devoid of a to-do list (however involuntary) and that I'm getting some much needed rest. There, that's better.

Whatever is noble - once again, the word noble means "having or showing qualities of high moral character, such as courage, generosity, or honor." Well, I have now courageously taken a few small sips of my Sprite, with no adverse effects. Yeah, me!

Whatever is right - I am proud to report that my patience, somehow, seems to be greater when I'm not feeling well (or during other times of crisis) than when everything is just hunky dory. I didn't yell at my little spectators this morning, not even when one joined me on my bed and thought it would be fun to jump up and down on it.

Whatever is pure - I'm not sure about my heart, but other internal organs sure are getting a purification today. You didn't need to read that, though. Sorry, it was my inner middle-schooler coming out. ;)

Whatever is lovely - there isn't much that's lovely about being sick, but I'll happily recognize one thing that is: a quiet room, all to myself. No TV blaring. No little people burrowing under my blankets. No lights, except for my computer screen. No interruptions. So long as it's temporary (and it is, I'm pretty certain that today's episode is based on something that I ate recently, and will therefore be a short-term thing), then this is kind of mommy paradise.

Whatever is admirable - I may not be very admirable today, but my little girls have been. Although we've been having some whining and complaining and sassing issues of late, Rachael absolutely shines when I need for her to. She took her sister downstairs and made her breakfast, turned on cartoons and played with her, and even came to check on me a few times. She made me a gorgeous "get well soon" card and played Ode to Joy for me on the piano (her new favorite song, which she is determined to perfect since she now knows that it was played at Mommy and Daddy's wedding!)

In the midst of all of her other big girl undertakings this morning, Rachael felt compelled to be sure that *I* ate too. (Never mind that food was the last thing I wanted to see at the time.) She tiptoed into my room carrying the Smurfs bowl that was mine when I was her age and announced softly that breakfast was served. I looked at the jumbled mess in the bowl and asked what it might be. "Breakfast pie!", she told me with a big smile. It was yogurt topped with a sliced banana and a smattering of Raisin Bran. (Side note: Raisin Bran is one of the few cereals that my children will eat. Personally, I find it disgusting. I remember liking raisins when I was a kid, but I've gotten over it - largely because I now recognize raisins for what they truly are: murdered grapes. And I love grapes.) The concoction looked okay, considering the contents, and actually smelled pretty good...but of course, I had to send it back with her, insisting that she and her sister share it instead. Which they did, because they'll pretty much eat anything.

They also took it upon themselves to clean the kitchen floor with a wet washcloth. I haven't seen the results yet, but Rachael assured me that it was only a small area of floor. Darnit, I was hoping for the whole thing.

If anything is excellent or praiseworthy - wow, after typing out this list, things really don't seem so bad around here. All in all, it could have absolutely been worse. I could have felt worse, and for longer. Gene could have been gone all day long. I could have younger children that absolutely couldn't make do with only minimal supervision for a few hours. Here are a few more things that I'm thankful for this morning:

- Having a home with a master suite. It's so nice not to have far to stumble between bed and bath.

- A laptop and wireless router, to keep me entertained when I just can't sleep any more.

- Scentsy. More particularly, the plug-in in the bathroom, which now smells pleasantly of an ocean breeze instead of...well. You know.

- Down comforters.

- Pillows.

Hmm, maybe another nap isn't sounding so bad after all...