Shabbat!

One of the nicest things about driving home after a long, long, loooong week at work is having a nice hot meal waiting for me at home (courtesy of Drew), a cold hard cider and Rachel's sweet face waiting to greet me, usually accompanied by "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" as if she's been waiting ALL DAY to see me.

Have I mentioned that I feel like the luckiest mom on Earth?

Tonight, just before we lit the Shabbat candles (and Rachel, as usual, said all three prayers perfectly), she announced in a loud voice:

"Everybody! Today is Shabbat! It's the most wonderful day of the year! So be proud, be proud of Shabbat!"

Honestly, I don't make this stuff up.

***

Drew seems to be getting over the awful chest cough that has made him miserable and hard to live with these past two weeks, if only because I've felt guilty making him talk. So, of course, I'm starting to feel tired, yucky and mucus-filled. I told Drew that I simply cannot get sick until mid-February; I've got the magazine to put out, plus three interviews of prospective Northwestern students, a trip to Seattle this weekend, people we need to invite for dinner....

Because I've been mucus-filled, I haven't felt like eating yogurt for breakfast, so I haven't HAD any breakfast the last two days. I mentioned at dinner tonight that I was disappointed I didn't get to swim at lunch, but I was so hungry that I decided to eat instead of exercise. Drew reprimanded me for skipping breakfast (his pet peeve).

"Mommy, you have to eat breakfast and lunch. You have to stay healthy," Rachel said sternly. "I mean, if you want to get a cold, that's fine with me."

That kid's got my number, all right.