Unexpected August blessing

As part of my regular job at the newspaper, I write a weekly column. It's a way to talk to our readers and to share good news that doesn't always make the front page. I joke and say it's just a Pollyanna-ish little thing, but really, at heart, I'm a bit of a Pollyanna.

I wrote last week in that column about how much I hated August. I do. I hate this month. I hated it growing up, when all I really wanted to do was get back to school and instead had to spend long days bored at home. I hated it in the D.C.-Virginia area, where I worked after college, when the humidity made you sweat the minute you walked out of the shower. And I hate it here, when the mosquitoes and hurricanes threaten to take back Florida. Of course, in my column, I made sure to turn my frown upside down and ended the column talking about the few things I love about the Treasure Coast, despite August. (And really, it's lovely. You should visit -- in February or March.)

But I still was struggling. The last month has been busy, and then Tropical Storm Isaac trapped us in the house over the weekend -- while I was struck with what I think was food poisoning. Cooped up, the boys were crazy and the dog was crazier.

Monday, we all were grateful to leave the house -- until a rogue storm band settled over our area all day, delivering 7 inches of rain in less than three hours and causing tornadoes and thunderstorms and worry from parents everywhere over their kids at school. The schools couldn't have predicted the deluge, but parents still wailed about the bad decision. Defensive, the schools closed on Tuesday when there was no major weather event and mostly blue skies.

I was annoyed. I had wanted a mental health day, but did not think another day with the kids after our stir-crazy weekend was going to fill that bill. Plus, I had work to do.

Yesterday turned out to be the best day I've had all summer.

The boys and I went into work in the morning. They sat in my office and drew pictures, looked at books, watched cartoons and ate leftover Girl Scout cookies while I handled almost everything on my to-do list. We were out the door by 11 a.m. and headed to a nearby restaurant for lunch. The Lad demanded BACON and EGGS and TOAST and The Boy had a chocolate chip pancake he deemed "candy for lunch!" They behaved so well, an elderly man sitting next to us praised their behavior on his way out. After, we went to the mall to get them the new shoes they've needed desperately for at least a month and bought cute tiny little girl clothes for my new NIECE (!!!!!!) arriving in January. (First girl in the family! Whoo-hoo!)

At home, The Lad napped for three hours while The Boy and I played three games of Chutes and Ladders and shared a bowl of the best chips ever and a cherry pop. When Beastie finally woke up -- after he hugged me and told me, "You're the best momma ever, ever" -- we went to the beach where I watched them play in the surf, together, without fighting, for more than an hour.

It might be a Pollyanna-ish thing to say, but sometimes the universe delivers to you the very thing you need.