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This Valentine's Day - Can you call me Sweetheart?
by Jodie Lynn

What does your hubby call you? "Sweetheart, Honey, Darling, Sweetie, Sugar Plum, Girlie, Sweetie Pie, Beautiful, Hon, Baby Girl, or Hot Mama?"

For example, on any given day when my husband walks through the door after a long hard day at the office expecting a nice warm home cooked meal, loving wife (nice smelling and good looking too) and peaceful house - I'd like to give him a home cooked meal..........right in the kisser! And, especially when he starts with, “Man, today was not a good day. My back started aching right off the bat, probably because I ran into the umpire at last night’s softball game….what’s for dinner Sweetheart?”

I work at home — what could be easier?

DON'T EVEN GO THERE! Well, for the sake of making a point -- let's do.

A day in my life might begin similar to other work-at-home moms:

6:30 a.m. — rise and shine (except some of us don't shine — right?).

7:00 a.m. — get the kids up.

7:02 a.m. — put on a pot of coffee.

7:05 a.m. — throw in a load of wash.

7:10 a.m. — get kids up.

7:15 a.m. — take puppy out for a quick walk.

7:30 a.m. — get the kids up — no — they're still not up!

Anyway - boring stuff until the kids are dropped off at school. So — let's skip that part.

What? Ya mean ya want to know how I handle my mornings before the kids go to school. I simply scream, holler and yell 'til they get their bodies out of the door and into the car — like the rest of you! (Only kidding.) OK, OK, I do scream sometimes. There, I admit it.

Now - drop them off and return home to my home office. Read and answer emails. Check planner for deadlines on various projects. Take puppy out to potty. Grab a package of crackers for a snack. Answer the door — wrong house. Return to computer and deadlines for a couple of hours..... Answer phone. "Hello - yes, I'm the Book Fair Chairperson..........Sorry - I thought we had delivered all prepaid special book orders. Oh - yes, I'll run up to the school and see if I can find it...perhaps someone turned it into the office."

Go up to school — look everywhere for the book. Nowhere to be found..........call Scholastic... "Can you send us another one?" AHHHHH - squared away. Oops - forgot to call the mom back. Leave message on machine. Now - back to work — right? Wrong!

Answer phone — "Yes, I can come pick up my son -- he threw up where -- on whom? I'll be right there."

Back up to the school .............Back home...........get son settled down - read him a story and take an Advil for my headache. Back to computer and attempt to reconnect to previous train of thought.

"MOM! I just threw up on the couch," yells my kiddo. "No worries, I say, as I run into the living room, wipe his mouth, check his temperature and offer a fresh set of clothes. How do you feel? (He rolls his eyes.) "I mean, sometimes when people are sick and they throw up, they feel better. Since this is the second time, maybe you don't feel as nauseous?"

Let me back up a tad. This is one of three kids who almost never runs a temperature. This makes it very difficult to know when he's really sick, as in calling the doctor‘s office and begging for an appointment. Like now -- no fever. He's also one of those kids who can throw up and almost never get any on himself or his clothes, but wants to change them anyway. (Haven't figured that one out either.)

As I make room for him on the recliner by moving clean laundry to another spot to be folded yet another day, I offer to read him another short book or maybe just make up a story about one of his favorite subjects. He says no thanks but that he would consider sipping on some Gatorade and listen to soft music (to soothe his nerves, don‘t ya know).

Once I get him situated, set up with a small amount of Gatorade to sip and dry toast cut into small pieces to munch on, I sit close by his side for a while. As we sit and listen to soft music together, I watch and observe him to be sure that he‘s going to be OK, as all moms do. Thirty minutes later, he's fast asleep.

So, back to my desk, computer and current project. Work diligently for ..................oh my gosh!!!!!!!!!! Time to get in gear for p.m. carpool and pick up kids from school. I quickly call a neighbor to ask if she would mind coming over for a few minutes...'til I get back from carpool. She's delighted to do so. (YAY!)

Pick up kids, drop each one off at their own house, and make a mad rush back home with mine. Check on son who has just woken up. He seems to have a little more color in his pale thin face. Thank neighbor who wishes me a Happy Valentine's Day. "Same to you," I say as I notice that I've not adjusted my calendar to reflect the merry old month of February. Wow -- time flies -- doesn't it?

"Thanks again, Mary, I really appreciate it." She smiles and joyfully bellows, "NO problem...Dan is taking me out for a romantic Valentine's Day dinner, so no pots and pans for me tonight...have anything special planned?"

As I pass the clock in the hallway walking her to the front door -- YIKES! Need to get dinner started. "Not that I'm aware of; with one of the kids not feeling too well, guess it's for the best. Who knows, maybe my knight in shinning armor will bring home dinner, flowers, and the whole works."

Wave goodbye and rush into the kitchen, fling open the freezer to grab something for dinner and -----------Oh yuck — what's that smell — GROSSS! — forgot to let the puppy out! Take puppy out anyway, so he'd associate going outside to (what?)...after he'd done his business inside, he gets to go outside to smell the fresh air. Go figure.

Come back in and clean up mess, wash hands and return to living room to check on kids who are deciding which afternoon 30 minute program they want to watch. Run back into the kitchen to check on dinner and just about knock my hubby over as he was walking inside through the side door mumbling, "Man, the traffic was horrible, my boss was yelling all day, someone borrowed my desk chair and forgot to return it — wished I worked from home where there's peace and quiet with a leisurely no-hassle schedule and no surprises...what's for dinner sweetheart?"

Well, as you know, many tiny details have happened during the day that I’ve not included in this work-at-home scenario. In trying to keep it brief, why bother? Let’s face it, when you have a bad day, it seems like it just keeps going downhill, and as usual, every insignificant moment ends up adding to the momentum of the ever-spiraling downside of the day and before you know it, well basically, YOU‘VE HAD IT!

In fact, no sooner had my hubby finished his last word than my eyes quickly filled with tears and I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs and crack him over the head with the still frozen tray of pork chops. "My schedule has been anything but peace and quiet today...to top it all off, it's Valentine's Day Cliff!

Just once, I'd love for you to come through the door with an amazing dinner, hand me an adorable Hallmark card, maybe some beautiful flowers and to-die-for chocolate, and..." He stops in his tracks, stares at me for a second and goes back out to the car, opens the door, reaches in and — "You mean like these?"

Woohoo!!!! He remembered! I don’t believe it! He actually remembered ............ "Yes, you can call me sweetheart!"

…NOTE TO SELF: I’m trying my best to work from home and make a difference in the world without jeopardizing my relationship with my family…but every once in a while, I will be still long enough to look forward to hearing my hubby call me sweetheart, while we sit together and eat chocolate after feasting on a delectable grown-up meal while the kids make do with a sandwich of peanut butter and jelly.