Spinning my wheels

Some days it just seems as if I run around in circles and achieve absolutely nothing. I actually cleared off my sideboard the other day and was so proud - today it's stacked with kids stuff again. Sigh....... Just not sure what the point of cleaning is beyond the main areas that need to be cleaned for health reasons - bathrooms and the kitchen. Really other then that - what's the deal about a little dust, or stacks of papers, or piles of laundry. We sure like to beat ourselves up over that though, don't we?

I once heard a quote by a mom who was complaining about her torn up lawn due to her four sons who were constantly running around, playing ball etc. Her husband looked at her and said - in 20 years we'll grow a lawn, right now we're growing our sons. Nicely said.

However, in this marathon type of parenting we've got going on - 29 years down, another 12 just to get the last one to 18 - we will be far too exhausted and could possibly be incapable of keeping a nice tidy little house. So be it - I will make peace with the dust and try to enjoy the people who create it.

A week of single parenting

Mark left for a visit to his family - especially his parents - in MI this week. He left Sun. AM and I took the kids to church by myself. Perhaps not the best idea I've ever had, but we made it and then Ella and Jacob spent the afternoon with friends which made the afternoon less busy.

Mon. morning I got up 15 min. earlier then when Mark is here and had done a little extra prep the night before so it went very smoothly. My neighbor Stacey also volunteered to walk the kids to the bus stop every morning which is awesome as well.

During the day I get an e-mail that Jacob has had an incident at school. A classmate pushed him into his locker and then he pushed back and bit him. The spec. ed. teacher felt bad about it and didn't seem to think his reaction was too uncalled for. After I found out which other student was involved, I remembered this child had told Jacob he didn't like brown - which Jacob took as a racial comment. I guess for now we continue to discuss with Jacob and if there are more incidents we may have to raise the possibility of his aggression being racially motivated - this is Kindergarten for crying out loud.

So - I reminded myself that it is a full moon - always a rise of behavioral issues at our house then. When everyone got home I had Jonathan and one of our PCA's Kara on board to help out till bedtime. The three of us weren't enough. Everyone save Ella and Shannon were just basically out of their minds. There was throwing, hitting, screaming, spitting, "I hate you Mom!" - "You're not the mom I wanted!" and on and on. It was pretty ugly.

Dinnertime was absolute chaos and I found myself shouting, while maintaining some humor - God can't possibly think I could do this on my own and will bring Mark home safely! Bedtime couldn't come fast enough.

I looked at Ella at one point who was trying to stay above it all and suggested she and Shannie stay to themselves and work on her Pet Shop sticker books - which she wisely did.

Well, we survived and last night was easier - Callie was out of the house at Julie's - which definitely took it down a notch. So, tonight Ella and I have a dinner date with a couple friends and then will deliver the food donations from church for a homeless shelter that houses moms and their kids. Grandbaby Kaia will join us as Melissa and Curtis were in a bind for childcare, but that should be fun.

I will anxiously be awaiting my partner in crime tomorrow evening and fervently praying for his safe return.

Cardboard testimony

Today at church we did a thing called Cardboard Testimony. People wrote just a few words or a phrase saying what was and with God's help what is. I think the fact that it was such a succinct testimony or story it was so very touching and effective.

One of the most touching was a 17 yr. old who wrote - left - Abandoned on one side and In a better place on the other. He is a good friend of our son and our friend's foster son. Now, he is a PCA for our kids - several of whom will be able to relate well to his story. It is awesome to see him thriving and so humbling to see him as a confident follower of Christ.

I hope that is the testimony of several of our children as well - simply In a Better Place. As for myself - I know that I'm most definitely In a Better Place - forever as a Child of God.

Callie's 9!

Callie girl turned 9 yesterday, but we will be celebrating today. It was an incredibly windy day yesterday which is Callie's least favorite weather, but she stayed pretty calm. Her beloved Julie was available last night, so we decided to celebrate a day late.

Chad and I will go scour Unique - my favorite used store - for deals and then pick out some presents for Callie. She loves Pet Shop toys and Polly Pockets - which are just too small. They are in the lego category of small sized toys - the kind that you are likely to step on as you're rushing to a child's room in the middle of the night and then accidentally stomping on them and hopping on one foot and holding the other while saying - I'm coming sweety $&@, mommy will be right there #$&. Ya, that kind.

Last night on the news they had a child development expert talking about how important the first year of development is - how children learn to trust that someone will be there when they need them. This, Callie did not get as she spent it abandoned in the Intensive Care unit. In spite of all that - she chooses to trust us much of the time and for that we are forever grateful. Thank you Lord for preserving such a fascinating little person - we look forward to what the next year will bring.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OUR SWEET CALLIE-GIRL!!!!!!!!! YOU ARE VERY LOVED!!!!!!!!

Do Do Do - Another one bites the dust!

Well, it's been a week of sick kiddos at home. Only the third week of school and everyone's sick - except Shannon, thank you Lord. Christian and Jacob have been out all week, Callie missed 2 days, Ella has missed 2 and Chad has been so so sick. By some miracle of miracles Mark, Chris and I have somehow stayed healthy. It seemed as if we were just starting to hit some kind of stride with everyone in school for the first time in 29 years, but just a reminder that this family just keeps us a jumping.

It's funny how when they're really sick it's not so bad - they're just down, sleeping and lying around. Now that they feel better they're getting on each other's nerves and they're starting to step on my last nerve, if you know what I mean.

Mark and I had planned to paint our family room then rip up the carpet and he was going to install hardwood flooring this week. Sometimes it is discouraging how long it takes us to accomplish things due to interruptions of all kinds. I know it's part of the deal, but discouraging non the less.

The good news is the windows are open and it's beautiful outside. Now if I could just convince them that that's where they should be.

Mom of Many: Finding Joy Amidst Frustration

Mom of Many: Finding Joy Amidst Frustration

Finding Joy Amidst Frustration

At our house there are lots of birthdays.  We're are coming into the season where from Aug. 10 to Oct. 4 we have 7 birthdays.  That's a lot of celebrating.  I turned 54 yesterday and Chad turns 35 tomorrow - we adopted him at 8 yrs. old and thought we'd be successful if we could keep him home till he was 16 yrs. old - well he's still here.  He was such a wild cat when he came we just thought we'd never make it.  What you are able to handle as a parent grows as your experience grows.  At least it has for us.

The other day we had several days of Callie really acting out. Jumping all over the furniture, squirting hair lotion, shampoo etc. on the carpet etc. We thought it was because her beloved Julie was gone for a few days and she missed her or that summer school was over, so her routine really was messed up until...... she came into the kitchen looking like a vampire with a tooth in her hand and her mouth dripping with blood.  She obviously had had some tooth pain for several days, but was unable to communicate that to us or even decipher what the pain meant to herself.

On Sun. Ella had a friend over and the two of them went into the girl's room locking the door and Callie and the boys out.  Mark discovered Callie - again - spilling lotion all over the carpet right outside the locked door.  Again, she was obviously mad, but unable to verbalize and therefore acted out.  So, now we'll have to see if we can get ahead of those behaviors by helping her identify and express her feelings.  

I realize what an awful superpower reading minds would be, but sometimes I think it'd really be helpful when trying to figure Callie out.  How frustrating it must be to have these emotions bubbling inside you can't express and probably can't even identify. How very much Callie has to teach me about patience and finding joy amid a world that must just baffle her at every corner.