This is truly a story only a mother could love...

Jack is a great cat and the kids carry him around and sit on him and nothing ever bothers him. He is prone to hang out and nap all day long on this mat in our bathroom. Well, Bill and I have two sons, aged 4 and 3 years old, and a 1-year-old daughter. The middle one is Eli. Eli really loves chapstick. LOVES it. He keeps asking to use my chapstick and then losing it. So, finally, one day I showed him where in the bathroom I keep my chapstick and how he could use it whenever he wanted to, but he needed to put it right back in the drawer when he was done.

Mother's Day 2008, we were having the typical rush around and trying to get ready for church with everyone crying and carrying on. The two boys had been fighting over the toy in the cereal box. I was trying to nurse my little one at the same time I was putting on my make-up. Everything was a mess. We finally had the older one and the baby loaded in the car and we were looking for Eli.

Bill and I had searched everywhere and I finally went into the bathroom. And there was Eli. He was applying my chap-stick very carefully to Jack's rear end. Eli looked right into my eyes and said "chapped." Now, if you have a cat, you know that he is right -- their little butts do look pretty chapped. And, frankly, Jack didn't seem to mind. Bill's eyes met mine. You know, one of those parental, mind-meld moments. The only question that came simultaneously to Bill and me at that point was whether it was the FIRST time Eli had done that to the cat's behind, or the hundredth.

And THAT is my favorite Mother's Day moment ever, because it reminds me that no matter how hard we try to civilize these glorious little creatures, there will always be that day when you realize they've been using your chapstick on the cat's butt.

Dedicated to Parker Boy. We sure miss you! And to Amy and Jason, parents of two small boys!

Speaking of my own kids, they are all taking us out for lunch today to avoid the Mother's Day crowd tomorrow. Life is good!!!