It’s an obvious statement of fact.  But after a difficult week at work, when most days I’d come home in the evening and just want to be alone, my girls made me smile.

I woke up this morning still feeling stressed and exhausted.  I had a strong urge to ask my husband to take the girls out for part of the day so I could simply unwind (and perhaps sleep some more).  Instead, I spent most of the afternoon with Chloe and Sophie – just us three girls – and was reminded how children are often the perfect remedy for the adult blues.

First, we went to Sophie’s gymnastics class.  We then went to the bead store where each of the girls made a necklace.  We capped off our escapades with a trip to one of the local cupcake stores (they’re cropping up like weeds and I imagine most of them will be out of business by next year) and came home with a box of sweets for later.  And not the least of the fun had by all, Chloe also gave Sophie an early birthday present – a miniature doll Sophie was coveting at the toy store.

We finished the day at a restaurant with friends.  We all ate well and the kids had the restaurant’s dance floor all to themselves.  And for a few hours, my only thoughts were about my family and my friends, and I didn’t think about work at all.  Priceless.