The Best Laid Plans...

Irony often reigns in the life of a Catholic Mom. Today, I embark on a new journey as part of the advent of the "C E On Time - A Guide to Personal Productivity Blog" over at Catholic Exchange. While it's an honor to be invited to blog with the talented folks who've been lined up for this new project, today has left me feeling particularly unworthy of my invitation.

Things have been going along swimmingly with my babysitting gig - our 18 month old nephew Patrick has been with us since Friday evening. Last night, as I held him at Mass and collected comments on his excellent behavior, I should have known that something was amiss. Do you know many 18 month olds who will agree to be held quietly for the majority of an hour long Mass?

Well, this morning I discovered why little PIII was so compliant last night. He must have been coming down with something. We've spent most of today cleaning up vomit and doing lots of snuggling. I'm happy to say that the worst of it seems to be behind us. He managed to eat dinner and was just tucked in to bed. It's been at least 8 hours since the last tummy attack.

Personal productivity seemed the farthest thing from my mind today as I fretted over my sweet little nephew's well being. Thankfully, I had already planned a clear calendar for the duration of Patrick's stay (which ends tomorrow). However, it was an excellent reminder that sometimes, the most productive thing a parent can do is to lovingly hold and care for a child. Dishes may pile up and goodness knows there'll be lots of laundry (the yucky kind) waiting, but few things seemed more important - and productive - to me today than snuggling with a precious toddler.