Well, she was greeted last year by a broken dishwasher that flooded the basement. And, to top it off, a stray golf ball shattered a table on the deck of her home near the South River golf course in Edgewater.

So, Mrs. Julian said this Sunday should shape up just fine, even if nothing special happens. What she really wants isn't all that extravagant, either, unless you're a time-crunched mother of 20-month-old triplets. She'd just like a day with the family - but one where all the daily chores with the children are handled by her husband and she can relax.

"I'd like a day where I can enjoy my kids, but not as their mother," she explained. "There's never a down moment. When you have one baby, there's downtime. When you have three, there's (not). I only have two hands (but I have three kids)."

Turns out that wish isn't all that unusual among mothers of multiples, said Dr. Joan Friedman, a California-based psychotherapist and author of a new book on parenting twins. "I think it's a really normal request," she said. "It's so never-ending."

Dr. Friedman said the best thing mothers of multiples can do is accept the fact that they're not going to have the same experience as parents who have one child at a time, and not expect things to be perfect. "You have to say, 'I'm doing good enough,' " she said.

Mrs. Julian knows all this, but said caring for triplets is still hard work - actually, she said it's the hardest work she's ever done. She used to put in 60-hour workweeks before her babies were born, but even that isn't as difficult as her current stay-at-home assignment, she said. A well-established schedule is her best defense against exhaustion, but she wouldn't mind a little respite this Sunday.

"My husband and I call our lives 'Whac-A-Mole,' " she said, because as soon as one child is put down, another pops right up.

Denise Smith of Sudlersville, who is active in the Annapolis Mothers of Multiples Club, said other people don't realize the volume of work that comes with triplets. Mrs. Smith has 2-year-old triplets and a 5-year-old daughter. (The club has about 200 members, but only about 10 are families with triplets. The rest are twins.)

Mrs. Smith's Mother's Day wish is very similar to Mrs. Julian's: She'd like to sleep in, have breakfast made for her, and then spend time with the family - as long as she isn't in charge.

Kacey Marshall of Pasadena doesn't even mind that so much, as long as all her children are getting along and they can spend a nice day together, she said.

"I don't put a huge expectation on it, because we have five kids," added Kacey Marshall of Pasadena.

Actually, she has six (including 3½-year-old triplets), but only five live with her and her husband, Joe.

Mrs. Marshall plans on going to a special Mother's Day brunch at her sister-in-law's home, and doesn't have a set agenda after that. Asked what else she might want, she added, "I love flowers. You can always do well with flowers."

Four times the fun

If her children's wishes hold true, Roline Bouie is in for a really nice Mother's Day.

Asked what they'd like to get their mother, her 8-year-old quadruplets replied, in order: a nice ring and necklace, a cinnamon candle, a bracelet and necklace, and high-fashion clothing.

Then, after a brief pause and some quick calculations, Cobe, Cameron, Carl and Carli figured out they had $8 between them. "We have to earn some money to buy her something," reasoned Cobe.

Actually, Ms. Bouie, who also has two other children, just wants what the other mothers also desire: "a peaceful day."

She'd like to maybe go to the beach or have a night out without the children. Nothing more.

But it'd be a definite break from the norm, considering she not only cares for her children, but runs a gift basket business and works at a hair salon with days that sometimes begin at 4 a.m. and end around midnight.

Ms. Bouie said it's actually harder now that the quadruplets are older, because each is involved in different activities and pulling her in different directions.

"(People) see them when we're out and say, 'They're so cute, they look nice.' (But) it's really hard work. You have a lot of good days, though. ... As long as you keep them on a good schedule, you've got it made."