When what I'm doing feels right

Sometimes in the midst of staying at home raising two boys I lose sight of how important my job is. Tuesday just feels like trash day and not "I did something right" day. Sometimes I feel sad that we don't have much money and that we live in a small apartment with no yard for the boys to run free, we drive small paid-off cars and cook most meals at home.  

But then I have days like today, because on this particular Tuesday we met up with friends at the Children's Museum. Pittsburgh's Children's museum has been rated one of the best in the country for several years now. And this place, like the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and the Science Center, is familiar to Owen. He goes almost weekly and knows his way around instantly. Owen goes to these wonderful museums several times a week -- A WEEK! He takes classes, explores, paints, learns and grows.

They opened a new exibit in a large open space. This large inflatable rainbow tunnel is staffed at the entrance. Children wait in line and are allowed to run through to the other side. When we arrived there was a short line of kids. Keeping toddlers in a line is quite the job and several mothers were helping to teach the kids how to take turns. Owen was fearful at first and waited in line several times only to turn around and stand back beside me. My friend Erin walked to the end of the tunnel so that O could run to her.

And he did.

And then he waited in line to run through again and again. As lunch time approached kids trickled out and soon only Owen and Emmet were left. The attendant told them they could go in and bounce since it was just them.

They bounced and jumped and giggled for a half hour until they were tired.

The attendant told me that on the weekends the line wraps around the room and out the door all to run through this exhibit once. My kid bounced in a national exibit for a half hour because I've chosen to make small sacrfices and live on less to be home with him.

He isn't missing out, he's getting more. More of me and of this. As least for my heart and my children, it all feels right.

My friend, Erin had a baby a month after I did. She was one of the first people I met when I moved here and even though Emmet is almost a year older than Owen, they are great buds. We had a blast being pregnant together and now our boys Gillen and Teddy are going to grow up friends just like their big brothers. Erin sat at the other end of the tunnel cheering the boys through while nursing Teddy, I thought it was a beautiful picture.

Actually, the whole thing was just a beautiful day.