Skyscrapers of Lego

Today, I am taking a break. I am tired of cleaning the house... Washing, folding and putting away clothes, only for them to get dirty again. I will pretend I don't see the dirty dishes that have been sitting in the sink since last night's supper. I don't even want to look at the floor; it never stays clean anyway. Last week, after I scrubbed it clean to perfection, my precious two year old son, Mordechai, decided it would be fun to eat his Cheerios on the floor. I mean that literally, he poured the milk out of the bowl, onto the floor, followed by the Cheerios. Then he proceeded to sit down and eat. Of course, at that point, he too was covered in milk and soggy Cheerios. What's the use?

So I have decided that the kitchen is going to be closed today, the chef is off duty. No fancy dinners; it will be macaroni and cheese. Today I am going to enjoy my children. What brought this on? Well, the other night, I had a terrible feeling after I put my kids to sleep. Leorah, my ten month old, was being particularly difficult. She was only content when I held her and would scream if I put her down for a second. I started to feel so angry and frustrated. Finally, I calmed her down enough to give her a bottle. When she was asleep, I began feeling awful for being so upset. She is a baby and she wanted my attention which I neglected to give her all day, since I had so many important things to do.

Then I looked in on my toddler who was already sleeping peacefully. I couldn't remember if I had said the Shema prayer with him. I was in such a rush to get him to sleep, had I forgotten? Did I remember to kiss him good night? What happened? I was so busy cooking, cleaning and running errands that I neglected what's most important – my children. I didn't have children so they would become another item on the to-do list, another job. This is not what motherhood is supposed to be. So I decided that my children will be top priority!

Today I am enjoying my children. I enter their world of play-dough men and Dr. Seuss, where the hallway is a soccer field and skyscrapers are made of Lego. I turn on loud music and hold my daughter in one arm and my son in the other, and we twirl around in circles until we all collapse on the floor in laughter. My son grabs my hands and says, "Ima, dance again!" The phone rings, but I ignore it, I am at a ball with my children and cannot be interrupted. It rings again and again. Mordechai yells to me over the music, "Ima phone, Ima phone!"

"Mordechai, Ima can't answer the phone now, we're dancing," I tell him sternly. He smiles and grabs my hand and Leorah's and starts twirling in circles. This is my time with my children and no one is going to take it away from me.

It is soon time for their bath; I slowly pour soap into the running water until the tub is filled with bubbles. Leorah giggles and splashes in the water, soaking herself and Mordechai who is more then happy to join in. I hold myself back from getting frustrated with the puddles on the floor. "It’s just water," I tell myself. When I finally take them out, their hands and feet are all wrinkled. I dress Mordechai and encourage him to jump on the bed. He has a fear of heights, so he is a bit apprehensive. But once he gets started, he doesn't want to stop. Leorah is too tired to join in so I put her to bed and kiss her good night; she is asleep before I leave the room. Finally the jumping stops and Mordechai goes to sleep for the night.

Once the kids are tucked away in bed, I walk around the house taking in the mess. Normally I would be frustrated with such disarray, but not today. There will always be messes to clean and clutter to put away, but my kids won't always be there, tugging on my skirt begging me to play with them. Someday they will prefer their friends over me. They will learn to read to themselves and they will no longer enjoy being tickled. Blocks and matchbox cars will be a thing of the past. But now, all they want is my attention. So today I made the most of my time with my children, because tomorrow they will be all grown up.