Definitely not!
This morning was what one might call... "humbling."
I got up at 6 am to go walking and talking with my friend Kara, which is something that I have loved doing since we started a few years ago. That was great. But when I got home at 7:20 it changed.
Cliff had a look on his face like something had happened. The kids were starting to wander out of their room with crazy hair and sleepy eyes. He said, "We have about 6 messages on our phones from work wanting to know where I am!" Cliff never works on Thursdays. He has a two week rotating schedule, but doesn't work Thursdays so we can go to Home Bible Studies every week consistently. Apparently they decided they needed to switch things around a little so they could fill a hole. This time I had just ignored his schedule when he sent it to me via email. I usually write it in the calendar, but he pretty much keeps track of it. So this change he had not noticed.
Last night I did not hang up the phone in the charger, so it was dead. My cell phone, which for some reason is the number he gave to the call service (maybe it's because he can never keep track of his) was also dead in my purse. Finally they got a hold of him because they found his cell number somewhere and he actually had his phone, charged and un-lost, this time...
So, he started quickly getting ready for work while I scrambled to get the kids and me fed and dressed so we could get to the dentist by 8. I COULD NOT forget Kaiah's insulin shot today like I did a few days ago... so I got that ready while I called Anne-Marie and then Kara to see if they wouldn't mind babysitting last minute.... at 7:45 in the morning...
All this time I thought (very unrealistically) that I could take a quick shower before I left. But by 7:35 it was quite clear that it was very low on the list. I put clean clothes and deodorant on over the sweat, gave Kaiah her shot. Threw Cheerios at them because I know the carbohydrate count by heart and it's super easy and they don't have to chew too long, and then brushed and flossed my teeth. I got Bria and Lochlan dressed while urgently reminding Kaiah to brush her hair while she was at it and both to brush their teeth.
Cliff left.
I got the kids in the car by 7:45. Made it to Kara's by 7:50. Threw Lochlan at her as he made a face very similar to this:
and we were about 5 minutes late the dentist. I was actually looking forward to not talking or taking care of anyone for those 45 minutes...
An hour later we went back to get Lochlan, drove home, and as I was getting out of the car I remembered that I had a full trunk of food from Costco that I never unloaded last night including eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt and meatballs... I opened the back of the van and brought the kids inside fully intending on unloading right away.
Well, I forgot.
Because about 5 new messages were on our answering machine. One was from our renters who had a clog in the bathroom sink. I called him to make sure they had gotten a hold of Cliff at work to see what he wanted them to do. The next message was from our good friends the Korens who Cliff was supposed to help move after his dental appointment that we had to cancel (and expect to pay $100 fee for cancelling too late...) You see Chris took the whole day off expecting Cliff to help load some very heavy items into a POD that he had delivered that day. Then they would have the whole day to load everything around it (I'm assuming.)
So, let's count. How many people have we dropped the ball for so far? (1) Work, (2)the Dentist, (3) our moving friends, and (4) my last minute sitter/friend. There would be more...
Next I called Cliff to make sure he would be able to go over there after work. He can.
Then I got a few more calls from friends about various things... Potluck Fridays, A homeschool symphony field trip that I'm planning, and a play date today (which I told her was most likely not happening based on how the morning was going. At least we hadn't already planned it. I didn't have to let her down.)
In the course of one of those conversations I discovered that today was Cliff's turn to lead study tonight. I think that's #5....
Right about that time I remembered that the food was still needing to be unloaded and that the door had been open for more than an hour. Thankfully, it's been really cold outside. About the temperature of my fridge :) I went and got it and put it away.
Then we started school and cleaned up a little. This all happened before 11 am.
I decided to throw in a little life lesson for the kids as I prepared lunch... When things don't seem to be going your way, there is always something to be thankful for in every situation.
1. Even though Dada was late to work, at least he had a job to go to.
2. We have amazing friends who are willing to watch our baby who is currently having a great deal of separation anxiety.
3. Our car worked well and got us to the dentist with no issues. And our teeth are clean.
4. We have the money to afford a plumber.
5. We have a fridge and pantry full of good food.
No. This morning did not go perfectly. Yes. The Lord humbles me often. And the kids get a chance to see how to and not to act (both) from watching me deal with minor irritations and stresses in life.
I hope I don't respond like this
Too often...
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