One extra hour

Today mathmama spent the morning with darling first graders wandering along a river path and exploring the nature center and zoo. The cinnamon bear paced, the monkeys swung and climbed, the lion, only three feet away, felt so near. After all that excitement, mathmama counted down the hours till yoga class tonight and bed. Mathmama's four darlings snuggled with her on the bed for an hour, giggling over stories. Dinner took a few moments, and then shoes were on, ready to depart. In anticipation of yoga, when breath trumps all and time slips away, mathmama had slipped her watch off. I'm hungry, comes from always-hungry three year old. Checking the clock over the stove, there is time for one more snack before departure. That's when mathmama found an extra hour. Earlier, said three year old played with mathmama's watch. The afternoon passed so quietly that mathmama didn't question the timepiece upon it's return. Now, a crisis: will mathmama manage to keep four darlings content for one more hour till yoga comes, or will mathmama crumble in a heap of exhaustion and encourage those darlings to settle into bed early? Rubber ducky! became our war cry, our signal to follow directions and be obedient, even when running on ahead or whacking a sibling seems appealing. Rubber ducky! managed to buckle all carseats, even when one strap was not threaded properly. Rubber ducky! helped mathmama read one last story to the children, safely buckled, before starting the car and heading off to yoga. And, yes, rubber ducky! saw us safely to and from yoga, where mathmama basks in that voice urging: don't hold your breath, keep breathing, and feel the sensations in your toes. Rubber ducky! may not be rocket science, but for mathmama, rubber ducky! helped fill that extra hour with happy, peaceful moments and reminded her that she adores and cherishes her duckies! Happily, those duckies are slumbering, now. Rubber ducky!