A week in the Life

Here's a rundown of a crazy week in our home. Most of the activites have been in my planner for days or weeks.  There are, of course, plenty of everyday things like dishes, laundry, getting kids out the door to the bus, etc, that didn't make the list.  A few other things got thrown in unexpectedly...hence the "Added bonus".

Monday:  5:45am workout and Bible reading. Catch up a little bit on pace warnings, grading, report cards, and invoicing.  Coordinate with schools/parents/students to get a bunch of midterm exams taken in the next week.  Make chocolate chip muffins for tomorrow's breakfast.  Pack lunches. Do dinner and shower girls. Online teachers' meeting {during which Skype will not work so I have to call in on the cell} 6:30-7:30.  Bible Study 7:30-9:30.  Couch "date" with Mark.
**Added bonus:  Mark bringing home a letter from school informing all employees that there is a budget deficit in the district which will very likely lead to staff cuts. This is something that we have actually discussed the possibility of lately based on some things that have gone on there in recent months...things that lead us to believe that is not out of the question that Mark could be one of the teachers let go {this is a whole 'nother post that I'm not even comfortable putting "out there", so you'll have to just trust me on this one}.

Tuesday:  Early morning Bible reading/quiet time with the hope of fighting off looming anxiety. Get dinner in the crockpot while getting everyone ready for school and MOPS. Coupon hunting and grocery list/meal planning.  Pick up house and sweep/mop floors....it was bad...I even found an {at least} three day old grape smashed under the leg of the kitchen table. Memory and coloring. Talk and pray with Mom and Dad. Quick run to the grocery store when Mark gets home {taking Levi to the store when he expresses disinterest in going, as he did this day, is equal to commiting parental suicide}. Put away groceries and get dinner on the table. Take all four kids to Ethan's basketball practice 6:30-7:30.  Mark to Bible Study 7:00-9:00. Grading. Lunch packing/couch "date" with Mark.
**Added bonus:  Got to the MOPS meeting to find that they were waaay short on Moppets workers, so I got to work in the 2 year old room. They were {thankfully} pretty easy and I think I only had one snotty finger wiped across my shoulder.

Wednesday:  5:45am workout {after a restless night of crying from the two year old, 5am complaints about what I suspect were growing pains from the eight year old, and spilling a huge cup of water on and behind my nightstand}. Deal with the disaster that has been our bedroom/bathroom the past few days. Finally take a look at the Adventure Club lesson for Wednesday night church. More grading and helping students.  Late lunch and Bible reading. Playdough.  Bake cookies. Shower kids and eat dinner. Church. Crash in bed at 10pm.
**Added bonus:  One of Mark's students calls after school to bring over a load of firewood.  He comes into the house for a few minutes after they get it unloaded and I invite him to stay for dinner.  Good thing we were having spaghetti...there's always some to spare!

Thursday:  Early morning Bible reading/quiet time. Read 112 books and build GeoTracks masterpiece. Finally separate chicken and beef stew meat from Tuesday's shopping trip for freezing. Exercise while folding and putting away laundry. Make blueberry coffee cake and popcorn. Enjoy a frappe while starting progress reports.  Help a student on Skype while trying to clean up the huge mess in the kitchen and start dinner. Fight with Natalie about eating dinner so she can go to gymnastics with Karis.  Gymnastics 6:00-7:30.  Grade papers, answer questions from students, get kids in bed.
**Added bonus:   Helping a student who calls at 9:45pm (5 minutes before we were headed to bed) because she can't get the password to the midterm exam to work.  After several attempts to remedy the problem, I finally just resorted to removing the password so I could just go to bed and she could get the exam done because she waited until the last minute and her school wants her grade tomorrow.

Friday: Stay in bed longer than I should.  Quiet time.  Help desparate student who will probably fail my class, grade a few papers, send a report card.  Mid-morning workout and shower thanks to Barney and Max & Ruby. Dance party and cupcake making with munchkins.  More dancing and frosting cupcakes.  Make chicken rice soup.  Mark comes home for 45 minutes and then leaves to work concessions from 5 to 9:30 for tonight's basketball games at school.  Bathe kids, Skype Grammy and Papa, pick up the house put kids in bed. Eat ice cream.

Saturday:  Word time, shovel driveway, make bacon and eggs before 9:30. Put together spinach casserole for the "winter birthdays" party at the in-laws. Set timer on oven to cook casserole.  Basketball game 12:00.  Home to pick-up casserole and cupcakes, stop to get some cards, then get to in-laws by 2:00. Try to avoid puking over the fact that there 17 items on my "to grade" list and that the number kept going up faster than I could get it down. More progress reports. Cut Mark's hair after kids get to bed.

Looking forward to tomorrow.  Family Worship Sunday at church. My mom is coming down to stay with Natalie and Levi, while Mark and I take Ethan and Karis to the WinterJam concert in Cleveland. Very excited to see Newsboys and David Crowder Band and a few others!!

This next week has the potential to be just as nuts...three doctors/dentist appointments, at least one activity every night of the week, and volunteering in a classroom.

Weeks like these {in the quiet moments I do get} make me count my blessings, though:  our busyness means we have a houseful of healthy people; we really have amazingly well behaved kids that make all of these activities manageable; I have a hard-working, fun, available husband; we have the resources to provide our kids with opportunities; we have a church community to serve in and be challenged by; if I'm willing, I have a God who is willing to come alongside me to refresh and care for me in the big and little things. 

So, while part of me wants to turn my back on weeks like this and run the other direction, most of me embraces it for all it's worth.

Funnies

Here are just a couple quick funnies.  Lots of mental and physical busyness happening around here, so I'm hoping this holds ya'll over till I can {hopefully...probably...maybe} get a bigger post written towards the end of the week.

Levi after taking his amoxicillan:   "I have a pistachio (mustache)?"  {We've been eating a lot of pistachio's recently :O)}

Dinner time discussion about whether family members are right or left handed...kids naming off relative after relative asking which hand they use...
Mark:  "I think Aunt Mary {Mark's aunt} is left-handed."
Natalie:  "Nooo...she's too old to have a left hand."

This is a video of Levi praying.  He always starts with "Thank you for...", then continues on with sort of "hummm".  We are thinking maybe he's preparing for the monastary.  In this one he says "Thank you for praying...".  If you watch closely, after he's done humming, you can see his lips moving as he whispers prayers for some other unintelligable things. The innocence and sweetness of it makes us chuckle everytime!

Just Plain Cute

Only the offspring of Mark and myself could be this reserved as they play Just Dance (Kids) on the Wii...ya know...gettin' jiggy, but not *too* jiggy :O).  {Sorry, I know it's a bit dark, but stinkin' cute, nonetheless.} 

My Prayer for 2011

I'm not picking a word this year, but I do have a prayer for it...from a song that we sing at church every once in a while.  We had some great teaching on perspective yesterday and ended the service with it.

Lord, give me one pure and holy passion.  Give me one magnificent obsession.  Give me one glorious ambition for my life.  Lord, I want to know and follow hard after you.  I want to grow as your disciple in your Truth.  I know that this world is so empty, pale, and poor compared to knowing you, God.  Lead me, Lord, give me strength, Holy Spirit, and I will run after You.  (Adapted from "One Pure and Holy Passion" by Mark Altrogge)  

I want this prayer to influence my perspective on life.  It's not only for me, though, it's my prayer for my whole little family.  We made some changes and sacrifices in 2010 that rocked our boat a little bit, but I know we've got a ways to go before we get off our cruise ship and find our spot on the war vessel, as our pastor put it yesterday.

I want this prayer to shape the decisions we make this year about how we spend our time and money {one specific thing that has been on my heart lately in regards to this is what kind of "getaway" Mark and I will do for our 10 year anniversary in June}.  I want it to be the filter through which we decide what activities to say yes and no to.  I want it to be in the forefront of our mind as choose what books, movies, and TV shows to be entertained by.  I want it to be the thing that pushes us to invest in the relationships that are beginning to form with the families we deliver food to for the church food pantry.  I want it to be what gives me the desire to read through the Bible this year {using my new (thanks, Babe) chronological Bible}, not just so I can say I did it, but so I can know my God and my Jesus the way I desire to know them.  I want it to be what either reaffirms our schooling choice or calls us to pull the kids out.  I want it to be what gives Mark and I the strength to consistently train our children in love and grace, instead of nagging and frustration.

I'm confident that God will work through this prayer in the coming months, but I know that, realistically, I will get in His way all too often. Here's to hoping I'll be at least one step ahead of where I am today.