A nice surprise.

Today has been so amazing!

Despite the ailment of a head cold, and regardless of being husbandless for a few days, today was brilliant!

It was the sort of day which made me think "bring on the 10 kids!" I know, I'm a sucker for a hard life. But today was so easy that those thoughts definitely rolled through my head.

The Winter sun was out, and I woke at 7.30am to Avalon's "cuddle Mummy" cries. If I hadn't been up half the night, coughing, this would have been the most decent of sleeps. I rolled over in the bed to see little miss Willow all serene and beautiful. She stirred with Avalon's cries, balled up her fists and gave an almighty stretch, with a smile spreading across her face. Her hands managed to escape her wrap as she arched her back like a cat, so I snuck my hands under the arch and picked her up in my arms for a snuzzle.

This is how the morning began, and it just got better from there!

I managed to convince Avalon that I'd bought her a special breakfast "treat" because Dad wasn't home. And 2 Weet-bix disappeared quickly from her bowl.

She then played by herself as I made myself a mega cup of coffee ("one for me and one for... oh wait... two for me!")

But wait, there's more...

My Mum then visited and we put on (and dried) 5 loads of washing. (Only the mothers out there would testify to this being a significant addition to my glorious day.)

Mum played with the girls and helped clean until the house was positively beaming in approval, and then after she left, my girls and I enjoyed the remainder of the days warm rays, finding "treasures" on the footpath outside our house. (note: treasure is referred to loosely and could be substituted for the word "rubbish" instead.)

Then as I tucked my girls into their respective beds, and after only a few cuddles, they're asleep. What's better (and this is not to say that I don't miss my husband) but I looked around, and the house was STILL CLEAN!

Praise the Lord for my Mum and for sunshine, and for climbing frames, and for rubbish, and for dummies, and for coffee!

But now that I'm alone, I do wish that messy husband of mine was back from his conference already.