We have been very crafty around here lately and there are so many things I want to blog about but I am totally stressed out and over my head… mostly in volunteer work commitments. I need to untangle myself from that sticky web, somehow. However, I am going to take a quick minute to write an important post.

Eve and I had a good morning today. I have been trying to slow down our schedules (see above paragraph) so the past few mornings we have spent at home. Today we made peanut butter and jelly muffins (I hope to do a blog post about that as well!) and played and read. Then, as I was making her lunch, I got a phone call regarding this volunteer work. I didn’t want to answer it, but I did because otherwise I would have had to return the call and I had no time to do that today and so it would have become one more thing on my to-do list. So I answered it, and somehow ended up committing myself to a 9am meeting on Saturday morning! Ugh! When I hung up the phone I headed straight for the fresh baked muffins and proceeded to spiral for the next half hour. Getting out the door to school wasn’t too hard, but I was short with Eve and clearly cranky. I explained why in the car and ranted a bit, as we drove, about how I had not enough time and just couldn’t manage to get things done. I’m sure unloading on a 4yr old is a parenting no-no. In my head I was thinking of the phone calls and deadlines and semi-regretting that I was to volunteer at Lex’s library this afternoon. Then I felt bad for that because I LOVE Wednesday afternoons when I get to be at the library with his class! Like I said, spiraling.

Are you wondering yet how this relates to why I love Eve? The whole way there she was so sweet and patient with me. When we got into her classroom she gave me a hug and wouldn’t let go. Seriously! She is strong! Her hug became a vice grip and when I forced her off of me (gently, by this point all thoughts of volunteering had left my head, replaced by concern for this unusual behavior) her calmness became raging tears. She pleaded with me not to leave her. She begged. She clung to me for dear life. She would not be swayed. She would not be distracted. She told me she was too tired (a popular excuse in this house) and hated school and would miss me too much. I tried to talk with her, her teacher tried to talk to her, her classmates all looked concerned, but she was unswayed. After about 15 minutes I decided to give up and took her home. I told her that if she’s really that tired then she needs to have quiet time when we get home. She happily agreed.

I love Eve because she takes care of me. Knowingly or not I think she sensed that I was very stressed and she did what she needed to do to stop me, if only for a few hours. I don’t know exactly what was going on in that curly head of hers, but something told her we needed more down time and she forced the issue. Now she is happily laying in bed listening to an audio book and I am able to make those phone calls that were roiling in my head and check a few time-sensitive things off my list that would have otherwise had me up too late, again.

I don’t even have any good pictures of her these days because she hides from the camera, but this one shows her really having fun this morning, laughing with me.

Hopefully soon I’ll fill you in on the fun craft projects we’re doing, Lex’s airport, my latest Pinterest obsessions, and why I love baking with kids. For now, it’s back to work for me.