Mother's Day

A few weeks ago, I came across a mommy blog rallying all moms to take up the tea pot challenge. What? For moms to find the time in the day to enjoy an entire pot of tea, its contents consumed while still hot without having to re-heat in a microwave. To read the newspaper while sipping, and without being disturbed. While drinking tea isn't my cup of tea (pardon the pun), I wouldn't mind trying to enjoy a steaming mug of fresh-brewed coffee while flipping through a magazine without being disturbed. Perhaps that would be an ideal Mother's Day gift.
Forget the breakfast in bed, because I'd cringe at the thought of cleaning up the crisis in the kitchen that's left after such an endeavour. Same goes for dinner made by the husband and kids, because I'd have to do the grocery shopping for the ingredients, and likely clean up after.
I'd just be happy to have a few hours to myself. To read a smutty novel, do the cross word in peace, soak in the tub by myself without little toys floating around and a child or two splashing about. A quiet hour to nap on the couch without listening to a Barbie movie , or worse, the explosions of a superhero movie in the background.
An afternoon to sit and do nothing. A few hours to NOT do the laundry or sort old clothes and holey socks or make sure homework is done or supervise a piano practice session or stare at old stains in carpet and wonder how to get them out. A few hours to sit and NOT take stock of the fridge and pantry and plan the week's dinners.
That would probably be impossible though. In reality, when moms with too few hours to themselves do get some free time thrown into their laps unexpectedly, we don't rush to the spa to get a pedicure or mosey down to Starbucks for a latte. We don't throw ourselves on the couch and channel surf.
Instead, we use those precious minutes to finally organize the plastic storage containers and lids. We put away winter clothes and boots (even though it's now summer), and make a mental list of what's needed for the next season. We clean out the fridge and re-stock the pantry. We decide to dust the bookshelves and sort through the toy bin, while throwing another load into the washing machine. We bake a batch of cookies while re-heating our coffee for the third time that day.
For Mother's Day, we moms should challenge ourselves to sit back and do nothing but sip a cup of tea or coffee. My May 8th will be likely be spent being smothered with kisses and being presented with handmade cards. Even if I had an afternoon to myself, I'd probably miss the chaos and mayhem and start on the list of never-ending chores to fill the silence. But maybe, I'll find a half hour to savour a cup of coffee.