BMSW

Almost Labor Day Weekend!
It's an official holiday in the states. All mums understand Labor Day is more about laboring than resting. We labor to have the babies. We labor to feed the babies. We labor to keep the babies dry. And there's the laundry and the cooking and the keeping the home tidy. And most of us mums work outside our home. So the government decided to implement Labor Day to celebrate all of us workers. Brilliant. Except few women get to kick back and rest or celebrate the day. When I was a young mum, Labor Day meant getting ready for school while Mr. Wonderful gleefully went fishing with his mates. It was an exciting weekend of struggling to get our eldest daughter to try on fall outfits while keeping an eye on our squirt who was hiding from me under rounds of hanging clothes. The eldest, we'll call her Betsy, hated trying on clothes. She would squirm, fuss and make all manner of animal noises just to humiliate me in public. The squirt, we'll call her Carrie, was 9 years younger and loved to try on clothes that I deemed inappropriate for her age. JC Penney security department was on high alert when we were "in the bra area" due to the sounds of Betsy's loud grumbling and Carrie's squeals of delight while racing around clutching extra large brassieres to her head just out of my grasp. Then it was on to KMart or Target for school supplies. Oh the horror of not choosing the most perfect backpack. Of course Carrie felt the need at age 3 to also whine for every thing that Betsy got from "The List". Yes, they had lists way back in 1989, but the stores weren't as courteous as they are nowadays. We had to go on safari to find pink erasers (not those, MOM!). And where were the My Little Pony standard lined notebooks? And those see thru pencil bags that fit so nicely into the Furby three ring binder. Don't forget to the official book covers to fit all of the text books we had not seen yet. And the cheap gym shoes with multiple shoe strings in all (and I mean ALL) the colors of the wind. To go with scrunchy socks and banana clips and cans of hair spray to stiffen the fuzz ball on the top of Betsy's head. So after piling all the goods into the hatchback, I was heading home. Not to rest, but to now pack lunches and book bags and wash new clothes, make dinner, feed the cats, pay bills, bring in the laundry and stop the girls from killing each other. And where was Mr. Wonderful? Not that I'm still annoyed with him. I'm just reminiscing the good old days and wondering why I didn't hide the plug to the boat. hmmm.
Well, I'm just a little off topic. But anyhoooo. Every one have a wonderful and "mindful" Labor Day weekend. This mum's playing in the pool with the grandkids while Betsy does all those things I used to do so long ago. Her Mr. Wonderful will be resting in an air-conditioned tractor, peacefully listening to talk radio while the GPS does his farming. Carrie will be working the weekend shift at Home Depot. he he.