"you need to work everyday and stop volunteering to help Dad so much!"

"You need to work everyday and stop volunteering to help Dad so much!"  Yes, those are the words of my 4 year old daughter Ashlyn at 645 a.m. today. 

You see for the last 12.5 years Mom has worked a Mon-Fri 8 to 5 nursing position.  Recently, I went back to shift work (12hrs) and thus work a variety of days and nights.  Being that Treasure State Quarter Horses is 30 miles away from the nearest town I have commuted all of my life.  Thus an early riser.  When Maisie and Ashlyn entered the world my daycare became my mom.  So of course I would shake them out of bed nice and early, drop them at my mom's, only for them to grab their blankets and crawl up on her couch. 

Well with doing the longer hours at work, I have opened up alot more days at Treasure State Quarter Horses to be home and helping Todd.  Of course the morning still starts early, with a large pot of very dark coffee being the kick off of the day.  The girls have really liked having me at home up until this morning.  After Ashlyn threw out her well thought out comment I asked her to explain and she told me that "when you go to work Dad takes us to Grandma's in the morning and we get up on the couch and don't have to go right outside to work.  We can relax a bit.  If you weren't always volunteering to help Dad then we could spend more time relaxing."  Of course Maisie thought this idea was the solve all as well and said, "Maybe you could schedule to help dad on Saturday's?"  

I explained to both of the girls that while they both had valid points and some great ideas that they just would not work for our lifestyle.  I tried to explain to them that "scheduling" days in for Dad were not an option as this was a lifestyle we lived not necessarily a job. I explained to the girls that I was not volunteering to help Dad, I was working side by side by Dad in hopes that one day Mom would not have to work away from home as much.  Though I love being a nurse, my ultimate goal is to one day work next to Todd and my girls and ride our great horses and barrel race on the weekends (you know, live the American Cowgirl dream).  I don't think that I could ever give up the nurse in me and would have to continue to fulfill this need a least a couple of days a weak.  So what does want think or do in those life lessons moments?  Would love for you all to share your feedback below.

I told Ashlyn that I would make her a deal on this very morning that would allow her to go to her Grandma's for a couple of hours while Maisie, Todd and I worked the young ride horses if she would be willing to help in the afternoon with the moving of all the grain troughs so that we could start feeding the mares and colts.  For Ashlyn the thought of sitting on the couch for a couple of hours was a great idea and she was all for it.  For Maisie on the other hand saddling Sunny D up and going for a morning ride was the ultimate day.  Her last words before we crawled up in the saddles were, "Man, what a beautiful, perfect day!"

As Todd, Maisie and I left the barn on our early morning ride I was in no hurry to break out ahead.  Todd and Maisie on the other hand were off and running.  At that very moment, I was so glad not to have been "up ahead" as from the back I was able to watch Maisie sitting so proudly on Sunny D looping down the field, singing "lets go to the show, get on with the show, baby let's go!"  Turns out this was going to be "the perfect day!"  So Treasure State Quarter Horses had a next to perfect day, now let's hear what everyone else's "perfect day" involved.