Happy Mother's Day!

Snuggle in bed with the kids, while Appa gets brunch ready...

...wondering about a good spot for the plant I was presented, rather than a run-of-the-mill bouquet...

...reading in bed, sipping my morning coffee - a luxury I gave up once Ana arrived...

...picnic brunch in the backyard that I didn't cook or arrange...

...a personal performance of Harry Belafonte's Banana Boat song (Day-O) by Appa, with Ana's support - not the traditional romantic, for sure, and who can resist Calypso? Of course, there were several encores - I could listen to it all day...

...a long solitary walk, no stroller, no chatter-bunny, just me, moi-même - ironic - but, since I get to be with the kids all the time, nixing the surging guilt now...

...thinking about moms around the world who raise their kids against all odds, who don't have the luxuries and privileges many take for granted, about my mom and my grandmas (what I know of them as they passed away before I arrived), about my grandparents and how humble their beginnings were, trying not to knot up my innards with sobering thoughts...

...amazed at the monumental patience and grace that has kept my mom from wringing my ungrateful neck over the years...

...a quiet wind down watching BBC's Muzzy (French, Level I), repeating the phrases we've been practicing with the audio CD of the same...

...while Appa makes his special from-scratch pizza, regular crust for the kids, thin crust for us this time, no pan pizza...

...and I sit down to type a few words here.

Dinner at fancy restaurant? de Beers' version of love? No thank you.

Happy Mother's Day!