Yay for Sick Days!

Believe it or not we are having our first sick day of the school year today.  Abby is home with a barky cough - whether allergy or cold related I can't tell yet.  I'm not a mom to keep my kids home when the first sniffle hits, but there are times you can tell they need a day home to stay in their jammies and let their little bodies recover.  So as I write this, Abby is downstairs watching Scooby Doo in her pajamas and cuddling with a kitten or two on the couch.  I'm sorry she is sick, but I'm kind of happy that I get her to myself today. 

For those of you with more than one child, do you find it hard to get time individually with them?  My girls are so close in age, especially Abby and Morgan, that I feel bad Abby hasn't had the time alone with me that Emily had.  Abby has always been an independent little girl, which is both easier and harder on me.  Easier because as long as she has her sisters or her imagination she's quite happy and self-sufficient.  Harder because it gives me a guilt complex - surely I'm not a good mommy to her if she doesn't need me constantly, right?  I feel like sometimes I have to create opportunities for us to be alone together so she will feel special.

One thing I have found with all of my children is that it doesn't take much from me to make them feel special.  Just a random hug and "I Love You" can make their day.  I wonder why we think that everything needs to be a grand gesture with our kids.  They certainly don't seem to care as long as we're doing something together.  In fact it seems to be the littlest things that mean the most to them: playing Barbies, baking, coloring, reading, and other simple things that only take a moment to do, but mean so much in their hearts and stay with them forever.  

I get so caught up in the day-to-day living that I forget to stop and enjoy little things with my girls.  My goal for this fall is to take some time each week to spend individually with each of my girls.  Maybe we'll go somewhere together or we'll do something at home - either way we'll be together having fun and making memories!  It's time for them to get some "Fun Mommy" instead of normal old boring Mommy for a change!