Yesterday is gone . . . Tomorrow never comes. . . Therefore, you're stuck with today. So get with it already, would ya???

Wow, I'm such a philosophizer, doncha thunk???

Whoever coined the phrase, "Yesterday is the past, tomorrow is the future, today is a gift that is why it is called the present" -- or however it goes -- must not have had kids, bad hair days, cars that won't start, leaky roofs, yards full of stickers, white socks now dirty from walking on floors (inside the house -- icky!!!), smeared toothpaste on mirrors and counters, garbage strewn all over from neighbors animals -- and then leaving their mountainous deposits in lawn . . . Dexter might step in it and sink up to his neck). Not to mention running from kid to kid trying to catch projectile discarded stomach contents and all the other lovelies that go with it!!!

I think someone once said something about cherishing the moment because when it is gone you will long for it (like to ask them if they'd like to spend a day at my house so they can relive those glory days) . . . and stop and smell the roses (impossible with a clothespin on your nose) . . . and this too shall pass (I've had enough of the passing, thank you very much) . . . and when you look back you will wonder where the time has gone (I know where the time has gone, I charted every minute waiting for the blessed angel of sleep to knock the lights out of my kids).

In retrospect though, there is a silver lining in every cloud. I got to sit on the couch holding my babies and not feel guilty about "wasting time." I didn't have to cook because it wouldn't be eaten anyway. The energy level was quite low and there was minimal fighting. No one complained when they watched a movie they'd seen "one hundred times." Andrew didn't complain when he was late for scouts because ice cream was the food of choice. And, I got to go to bed early with the sickies.

I received an e-mail reply to my last earth-shattering blog post about waking up and saying "thank you" -- already in conversation with Heavenly Father. What a magnificent thought. I'm thankful for a new day to stop and reflect on the gift that I did have yesterday of "setting myself aside" and focusing on those things that truly matter. Will my kids be malnourished because they had ice cream? Nope! Can I open windows and air out my house? Yup! Can I sit and hold my babies when they are full of energy and it isn't "cool" to be sitting with Mom? Nope! Are their brains going to rot out of their heads because we did nothing but fry our eyes staring at TV, computers, or games all day? Debatable, but Nope!

And, above all, they are off and running today. Yesterday is already forgotten. It is true . . . Cherish the moments -- they can seem eternal, but are gone in a flash. Stop and smell the roses -- even if they are rotten and stinky -- at least it means your nose still works!!!!