This Monday was one of the most tiring days I’ve had in a long time. I had to do an elaborate article on Cannes and some more articles on fashion and style as well as prepare and send out the weekly e-zine featuring all this fresh content. I started work at 7 in the morning and completed everything by 6 p.m only stopping once in between to have lunch. My husband took care of my daughter, fed her, played with her and was exhausted himself by the end of the day. But he wasn’t getting any help from me even then because by the time I was done, I was pretty exhausted myself. And not just exhausted, I was feeling guilty for not playing with Sanika, not doing any household chores and actually doing nothing else all day and angry with myself for not having enough energy at the end of the day to make up for my loss of attention earlier in the day. My room was a mess to say the least. In short, my work was finally done, I will dead tired and I was hating myself for not being a good Mom and a good wife.

But before I could say any of this aloud, I got an unexpected and most surprising ‘I Love You’ from my DH. Wow! I stared at him not really believing my ears. He is not the one to shower too many I Love You’s and the sort without a reason. And getting it from him just when I was feeling most unworthy of any such thing! Before I could say anything back or even argue with the correctness of it, Sanika called me into the balcony to see the moon. While we were watching it together, she came up with this:

“Mamma, there is only one moon. There are many stars. There are many airplanes. There are many trees. There is only one Mamma.” I was speechless and could do nothing other than giving her a big, tight, emotional hug that she soon scrambled out of.

Oh dear, what have I done to deserve such a loving family? Is this was families are for? Loving you and supporting you when all you’ve done is behaved in the worst possible way?

The day’s surprises were not over yet. My husband had been reading ‘Chicken Soup for the Parent’s Soul’ and pointed this out to me:

I’m Okay

The house is a mess, the dishes are dirty.
I’m too old for this stuff, I’m well over thirty!
The car is not clean, my hair is a wreck,
And I’ve already spent next Friday’s paycheck.

The laundry needs washing, the kids are too rowdy,
And I never have time for a leisurely “Howdy.”
With all that I do, it’s never enough,
It’s never quite finished, it always looks rough.

I looked in my mirror and what did I see?
A harried old stranger, where I used to be.
The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.
Today is tomorrow, and I’m not caught up yet.

My kids are growing at such a fast pace,
That I’m missing their childhood for the sake of this race.
I work and I clean and I cook, and I say
“Hit the books, clean your room!” there’s no time for play.

Well, the Lord, for some reason, chose ME with the care
Of three of His children, but I’m rarely there!
I’ve GOT to slow down lest there’s nothing to show
For my role as their mom when they pack up and go!

I’m only one person, but look through my door,
What appears to be one, divides into more!
I’m a chauffeur, a cook, a planter of trees,
A teacher, an umpire, a mender of knees.

Sometimes, I forget that deep down inside,
There’s a lady with feelings, and last night, she cried.
She gets tired and lonely, feels taken for granted
She wants to see blooms from the seeds that she’s planted.

Then, amidst all the turmoil in this mind-bending pace,
My little ones look at me - square in the face…
And just when I need it, they all in one day
Say, “Momma, I love you” and then…I’m OKAY!

by Rabona Gordon

And he did not even know what had passed between my daughter and me in the balcony a few minutes ago. I could contain myself no longer and burst into tears after reading it. And my dear, dear husband was ready to comfort me, already prepared that something like this would happen. He knows me too well, I guess.

I am so blessed to have a family that loves me for whatever and however I am!

What a lovely way to start your special day! Rohit knows just what his wife would love to do on her birthday. So, DH and my adorable daughter presented me with a bunch of my favorite flowers - Carnations - and I spent a lovely time arranging them in a simple, yet lovely fashion.

Starting with trimming the stem lengths, I took a different route to arranging them. Since the vase was slender enough to hold them beautifully without the need for floral foam or a frog, I first arranged the little posy in my hands mixing the gorgeous yellow and pink blossoms. Adding some ferns for greenery (not that much was required anyways), I slid the entire arrangement into the water-filled vase.

And there it lies on my table to make me happy all day. A classic example of how the simplest arrangements can be the sweetest. A lovely mix of color and healthy blooms can do away with the need for complex flower arranging methods, tools and a whole lot of time.

Wishing you all a wonderful Valentine’s Day. I celebrated the day with my little daughter and although she does not what it is supposed to mean, she showed in more than one ways that she loves me like no other.

As for my Valentine of 8 years - my DH - he is away for a trip with his parents and is due to come back tomorrow. But a short and sweet SMS from him was the first thing I laid my eyes on this morning and it was enough to bring back the lovely memories of the past 8 years and make me feel mushy!

Blooms, blooms all over! Today was the concluding day of a short class on Floral Arranging that I took and all the students were to make and exhibit at least two flower arrangements.

I had a lovely time choosing flowers for my themed decorations. The first was an inverted hanging arrangement with orchids and white gerberas and the second one was a forest themed arrangement. And since I had some more time on my hand, I also made a third one…using only veggies! All the arrangements received a warm response.

I will soon write out the projects for these arrangements and publish them on my site DotComWomen.com. I have been slow in developing and publishing my own projects since the birth of my baby which was more than a year ago and now it is about time the editor contributed a nice project for the holidays!

Will post the links here for you.

The month of May is finally here. It is going to be a very special month for me. Of course, it brings along my Marriage Anniversary, but this May has something more in store for me.

I will be celebrating my first Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 14th! Mother’s Day is always a very special day, but more so when you are a Mom yourself!