Sick kids, slow day

Has anyone else noticed that time moves slowly when your kids are sick? Not only do you inevitably slow down because you have a little one needing your attention frequently, but time itself seems to slow down. Perhaps it's due to the long hours spent just snuggling your kid, at least I spend a lot of time sitting with them, I am sure I am not alone in that. Maybe it's because you feel so "unproductive"; no "to-do" list is going to get shortened, laundry will sit unfolded in the hamper (ok, I confess, that happens even when my kids aren't sick), dinner will likely be something quick and easy, often pjs are the attire for the day. The nights are often where the hours stretch the longest, sick kids aren't really great for a mom's "beauty sleep". Last night I was up 4 times in the 8 hours I had given myself for sleep, my kids weren't necessarily up that many times but the hacking sound coming from the other room was enough to rouse me from my bed to check on my sweet monkeys. If not for the brief visit with my cousin/friend, today would have felt like 2, running together.

Here's the deal though, I don't really mind days like today. It's hard to have a sick kid at home, but sometimes it's just what I need to slow down and pay attention to what is going on around me. Even as a stay-at-home mom it's easy to get busy with your "to-do" list, making sure you get your kids out for play dates, or get yourself to "mommy dates", and forget the most important portion of my job description- nurturer. I am ashamed to admit that I don't always sit and spend quality time with my kids, a day can pass so quickly I don't realize most of it has gone by with only (what I refer to as) "subsistence interaction" between my boys and me. What I mean is, a day can pass with most of my conversations with my kids consisting of what they want to eat, breaking up fights, making sure they are clean/clothed/fed, basically. I am sure that I am not alone in this either, it's easy for anyone to get busy with life. So I guess what I am saying is, although it's hard and I pray for quick recovery (for their sake more than anything, no one likes feeling crummy), I am thankful for the chance to slow down and spend some good snuggle time with my kids. I am thankful to be reminded that above all else, the most important thing I am doing with my life is raising them. It doesn't matter if my house gets a bit grubby, or my kids have cereal for dinner, or the laundry gets wrinkled from hours of being mashed together in a hamper, what matters is that my little guys know every second of every day that I love them, value them and that they are the best part of my day. There is not a thing unproductive about that :)