She pushed her brown salt-and-pepper bangs back from her flushed face. "Charlie!" she yelled toward the back of the house, where her eldest son was. "Did you take the trash out?"
When no answer was heard, she sighed to herself, her ample form leaning on the kitchen counter while her plump hands scrubbed the dirty dishes. Her hazel eyes caught movement to her right. Turning, she saw her three-year-old daughter reaching for something on the bookshelf. She quickly wiped her hands on her checked apron as she went to see what was so interesting to the child, finding someone had left a marker on the shelf.
Sweeping up the child onto her hip, she went down the hall to her daughters' room. "Mandy, Katie, will you please keep an eye on Julie for me?"
Her other two daughters, looking up from their books, replied, "Yes, Ma'am."
On her way back to the kitchen, she peeked into the boys' room, where her son Paul was building with Lego blocks. When he looked up, she smiled at him, and he grinned back.
Returning to the dishes, she began humming a song to herself, thankful for all of her blessings.