I don’t even know why you might read this. It’s random. Topics include: busyness, sick kids and rainy days . . .

Last night my husband and I were QUADRUPLE-booked for the evening. One kid had karate. One kid had soccer practice. One kid had a baseball game, and as parents we were scheduled for concession stand duty for our other son’s baseball team.
Understandably I was worrying about how we’d get it all done. But then, our daughter’s soccer coach texted that he had a work conference call come up unexpectedly so he’d be canceling practice. YES! One less thing.
My husband took my son to his game and then hit up the concession stand for duty. I took my daughter to karate with all of the other kids in tow. I was able to get to the fields to watch the last half of my son’s game and my husband was able to continue working the concession stand as our kids played outside.
We keep doing this, he and I. We are crazy booked with all of these kids and their activities but we are making it all happen for them. It would be a massive lie if I told you it’s always rainbows and butterflies and we’re always happy to be running them around.  The truth is, I complain a lot. Mostly to my poor husband. But he has this way of reminding me that WE’VE GOT THIS, and he’s right. We do.  Plus if I’m being truthful it is worth it.  You should see the way my son Thomas smiles after he gets a nice hit from a coach pitch at his pee-wee game.  He’s adorable.  Or if you saw the way my daughter Faith hustles during soccer, and is focused 100% of the game – you would see why we are as proud as we are. There are all of these moments amid the craziness in which I feel a ping of pride and a ping of happiness for my kids’ happiness. It’s good. Really, really good.
The busy is hard, but it’s a good busy. I want the kids and all of the busy that comes with raising them.  So I should really stop complaining about how busy I am.
Today, circumstances are forcing us to slow down.
Last night I went in each of the kids’ rooms to check on them before I went to bed. It’s a good thing I did, because when I hit up the boys’ room, I discovered my youngest son Barrett on the floor. Asleep. I went to pick him up and move him and found he had thrown up on his bed, the wall, the floor and on some stuffed toys. We immediately started to clean up the mess, my husband and I.  It was so bad the mattress had to be taken out and hosed off (I know. It was pretty gross.)
This morning at about 5:45 my husband and I went to check on Barrett again before we had to wake up the big 4 for school and before he had to head to work . . . this time he had gotten sick again, but the other kind. I won’t go into details this time but Barrett had to go straight to the bath this morning.
I still managed to get the big 4 kids up, fed, dressed and off to catch the bus in time. Barrett was scrubbed clean in the bath, his room was cleaned up and I started disinfecting EVERYTHING in this house.  My husband headed to work and I survived the day with a sick 4 year old and an active 3 year old. My baby boy. With a bowl, because he can't always make it to the toilet to vomit. :(

My sick baby was supposed to go to pre-school in the morning and have his tee-ball game tomorrow evening, but now he’ll be staying home and avoiding spreading these tummy bug germs to his classmates and teammates.  So we will have a little less to do tomorrow, and that’s okay.
As I am typing this, we are experiencing storms. Usual for this time of year, but they always kind of bum me out.  I prefer the sun and weather nice enough to let the kids go play in.
Sick kids + bad weather? Usually the combo would have me stressed, anxious and just bummed out.  My husband is probably guessing that he will come home to the complaining wife that I can (too often) be.  Dark, rainy skies outside my window.

But I’m not complaining today. I have felt an odd peace all day even after my son threw up (for the fourth time since last night, maybe? Fifth?) in my living room this afternoon. Weird, right?
No, I haven’t been day drinking, though I understand why you might wonder if I have been. Oh, it’s tempting sometimes.
It’s just God. And coffee.  Sweet, sweet coffee . .  .but mostly God. I’ve been praying that He will give me the grace to be the mother my children deserve and the wife my husband deserves.  Funny how He pulls through and listens to my prayers.  Funny how all of these HARD things can be thrown my way and I’m able to handle it all though I feel completely inadequate on my own.
He gave me these children and He is giving me the strength it requires to parent them.  It’s all Him. None of it is me.
I didn’t plan to blog today, obviously . . . but for some reason I felt the need to share these thoughts swarming in my mind today.  I wanted to share the gratitude I feel today for our God and the ways He answers our prayers.  Maybe someone out there needed a reminder to pray. I don’t know. 
But as I end this I will pray everyone who reads it is blessed in some way today.
                                                                             
  
Until next time . .  .