bad mum

i loathe going into the office every day. i seriously considered hiding under my desk if one more person knocked on my door. i spent the rest of the day combing through a mountain of emails and returning calls. where all they came from is beyond me. i was *supposed* to be on vacation last week and therefore immune to the deluge of emails i usually get.

on the homefront, we've taken a break from schooling for the year. elisabeth was happy to hear that. she's still continuing with her reading but no new lessons until january. matt is off from school until then, so the girls are getting a break as well.

i feel like i'm being a bad mum. i haven't had time to cook/bake for them and they're eating junk. no time for games or crafts or reading or cuddling. i have such guilt when i'm not home. i hear about their day rather than being able to experience it with them. i hate that.

this is something that made me realise there are more important things in the world than my selfish desires.

Stephen Ringold is a clown facing a tough audience -- a sick child in a hospital room who needs holiday cheer. For a few minutes, Stephany Nieto sits on her mother's lap, suspiciously eyeing the tall man with the red-and-white checkered shoes half-hiding behind the curtain. Smiling doesn't come easily to the little girl, who her mother says is being examined for a serious illness called moyamoya, an rare inflammation of the brain arteries that can cause seizures and paralysis.

But for a few moments, something whimsical captures her attention.

As Ringold -- a.k.a. Dr. Meatloaf -- stoops to pick up something, his ukulele-playing partner played by Phyllis Capello plants a hard slap on his behind with her instrument. Suddenly, Stephany is giggling and ordering Capello to plant another hard one on his back side.

it helps to keep things in perspective, doesn't it?