Is it hard being a mom?

You have to picture the situation to fully appreciate the question posed. Over the last couple weeks we have finally been able to get out in our yard. Our goal for the summer is to further turn our current yard of mud/dust into grass and flowers and such so that next winter we aren't dealing with this

Step 1 was to purchase gravel. We can now check that off the list. Between the gravel we purchased and the gravel Robb got for his birthday our parking area is a lot dryer when we do receive monsoons of rain. Next step is to build a wood/tractor shed along our property line. The only problem with getting right to that is the area is currently filled with trees, blackberry bushes and all sorts of other thorny yuck. A little over a week ago I grabed the keys to the tractor and went to town demolishing the underbrush while Robb cut everything up and burned it. The area is gradually coming to be and we are very excited to get up our shed as we now have a big hole in our barrier between us and our neighbors. That in itself is another blog post.

Then this last weekend we got down and dirty. Time to rototill the garden. We rented a large rototiller and Robb went to town on our garden plot while I worked my way around the fence line. This would have been a lot easier if I had the pulaski that we have had for years. However, it met its demise the previous week so I am hammering away at the dirt with a pick ax that weighs more than the dump truck load of gravel we had delivered and comes to a point. Every time I hit the ground I just make a little hole. It didn't seem very productive so I was slightly frustrated to say the least. After hours of that I finished up and moved on to making pathways out of concrete blocks. The blocks were placed and using the tractor I began filling them all in with dirt. I promise to take some more pictures this weekend to show you all what I am up to.

While picturing this you have to realize that I am a get in there type of gal. I am dirt from head to toe and in between all the work in the yard I am trying to get the laundry done as well. A never ending battle. On one of my trips into the laundry room to switch over the laundry, my oldest wanders in from one of her adventures and stands watching me. I glance up every once in a while and notice quite the contemplative expression on her face. Finally she breaks in with the million dollar question "Mommy, is it hard being a mom?"

Wow! How do I answer this question. I mean, here I am probably looking a complete mess. My hair is all over the place, I am covered in dirt, my face is muddy, I haven't showered since the previous day, and she is asking me if it is hard being a mommy...

I think for a minute and decide on the honest answer as opposed to the sarcastic one I may have been thinking. "Yes, sweetheart, it is sometimes hard being a mommy. That is why your daddy and I made sure we were really ready to be a mommy and daddy before we had you." She looked at me with a quizzical look, contemplating the answer and asked, "But you love us even though it is hard, right mommy?" Of course I said "yes" and then leaned over in my dirty state and planted a big kiss right on her little lips. She was extremely satisfied and headed off to play leaving me to finish switching the laundry and get back to my yard work.

Another day in the life of a mom.