A stranger in a not-so-strange land.

I've been sick for the last two days. I mean really sick. My whole body ached. My throat hurt and I had zero energy. It's the worst I've felt in a long time.

It's been rare that I've been rendered totally incapacitated - at least since becoming a mom. I've written before about what happens when moms get sick and how anarchy can seize the homestead in no time flat. So generally, despite how badly I feel, I don't linger in bed too long.

But this time was different. This time, Mark was here to help. He tucked me into bed and assured me he'd be able to manage.

And manage he did.

He handled pick-ups and drop-offs with ease. He made the kids a homemade dinner instead of taking the easy drive-thru route. He read bedtime stories, helped with homework and listened to nighttime prayers -- all while I lay, like a puddle in bed in a feverish, achy haze. I was only barely aware of my surroundings, but I know he refereed a good deal of mind-numbingly stupid sibling squabbles without so much as raising his voice.

What can I say? The guy is a real gem. They got along fine without me. In fact maybe even a little better without me.

When I started to emerge from my fog late yesterday afternoon, and stumbled around the house, I felt like a stranger in a not-so-strange land. Sure, it was my house, but everything was somehow different. The house felt foreign to me. I wasn't sure where things were and I had no idea what we had to eat in the pantry, fridge or freezer.

Life hadn't stopped when I hit my heating pad a day and a half earlier. It kept moving on. Dirty dishes didn't pile up. They were washed and put away. The house wasn't a cluttered mess. It was neat and tidy -- tidier than when I left it.

For a mom, little things, like not knowing if the dishwasher holds dirty or clean dishes, can feel so foreign and strange.

So today, I finally feel up to jumping back into my life. To take the reigns of this household and start driving again.

But I've got to admit, it was kind of nice to be allowed to ride in the back seat for once. Too bad I was too sick to enjoy it.