just when i thought i had lost my mind

so yesterday was a really rough day with the kids ~ the summer of little structure and almost no normal routine has really taken a toll on all of us ~ katie and matthew were fighting with each other, hitting, saying really mean things and i completely lost my temper for like hours ~ i couldn't wait for bedtime because i just wanted the day to be over so another one, hopefully better, could begin ~ then a miracle happens just when i thought i had lost my mind ~ i had sent the big kids upstairs to brush teeth, put on pj's, pick out books ~ when i started to walk upstairs about 5 minutes later, i hear katie's authoritative voice start to speak to matthew ~ i stopped dead in my tracks sure that i could bust her saying something horribly mean as she had been doing seemingly all day ~ instead what i hear goes something like this:

Katie: Now Matthew, I want you to sit here by me and repeat after me. Dear God, thank you for making the world and everything in it. Thank you for making my family. Thank you for sending Jesus to save us from our sins. Amen. (Matthew perfectly and obediently repeated every single word)

Katie: Now Matthew, let's talk about sin. Do you know what sin is?

Matthew: What does sin mean?

Katie: Sin is when you do something really mean or really horrible, like when the boy at camp hit you in the stomach today. That's a sin. Jesus died on the cross for our sins.

Matthew: Why did Jesus die?

Katie: (pause) Well, he died on the cross to forgive us for all of our sins. He took them all away and died so we wouldn't have to.

Matthew: He took all of them away?

Katie: Yes, Jesus forgives us and saved us from all the sins.

well ~ i had such a surge of different emotions and i just sat on the stairs and cried ~ i was ashamed of myself for having gotten so mad at them and for yelling so harshly ~ i was so proud of katie for the depth of her understanding of the gospel at age 6 and for sitting matthew down to teach him what she has learned ~ and i was so thankful for the miracle that they are ~ these beautiful gifts from God, who often make us lose our minds, are truly miracles who God sent to us to love, nurture, teach and just do the very best we can with ~ we ask so much of ourselves as moms and daily lose sight of all the good that we do with and for them ~ despite the noise, yelling, name calling and rivalry, God has placed in their hearts an understanding of His love and the seeds have been planted ~ they're getting it...they're really getting it...

i never learn

can someone please explain to me why i put spf 50 on my children every time we are outdoors, yet I never manage to get any lotion on myself?? sometimes i put the leftovers from the kids on my face but never on say my shoulders or back that are going to FRY in this flippin heat! it never fails - the kids have this nice brown tan and i am red and miserable. what a dope.

got all geared up for Aquatica this morning, had everyone excited and ready, drove over and by 10:30am it was already CLOSED because it had hit capacity! see i never learn - wake up early and get everywhere early! early is just a dirty word to me i guess especially on a sunday. now picture my little darlin's as we drive away. we are peppered with questions and crying and what are we going to do now?? so we went to denn john instead - a bit of a let down i must say. actually we had a blast and it was so manageable for malaina. she loved it and aquatica might have been a bit more overwhelming for her. for a little community pool it really is a fun place for an afternoon. but if you go, put lotion on yourself first then the kids (kind of like airplane oxygen masks).

dinner time

What is it about the hours right before and after dinner? Is there such a thing as the "witching hour?" We used to say that about Katie when she was a tiny baby - she always cried and fussed inexplicably and unconsolably right around 6:00pm. Things haven't changed all that much in 6 1/2 years...except now she has been joined in the whining, yelling, and running around by Matthew and Malaina.

On top of that, I never know what to make for dinner so I'm frustrated to begin with. I usually end up making something for Michael, pasta with butter and fruit for Matthew and Katie, something for Malaina and then I have no energy to make something gluten-free for me. It is crazy to have to cater to so many different tastes/needs. I wish I was more like my mom back in the day - one dinner for everyone and you either ate it or didn't - it was your choice. What am I so afraid of? That they'll complain and whine even MORE?? Maybe that's my worry but it just might be worth it...

lost my blog

So, one of the hazards of entering the blogosphere is...losing your blog! I hit post, signed off and then couldn't remember where I was supposed to go to post again. So sad, but all this technology is really taxing my already over-taxed brain! Thanks, Tina, for sending me my link, oh so cleverly, so that I could get back on and post some thoughts for the day.

Does it make me a bad mother to rejoice in the fact that there are only 3 weeks of summer vacation left? Oh please - you're all secretly thinking the same thing...i know you all :)

Don't get me wrong, the summer really has gone by quickly and I have seen some amazing changes in the relationships between the kids, but it's the noise.... Wasn't it the Grinch who went postal because of "all the noise, noise, noise, NOISE?" I just don't believe any of you who say your children are loud. They can't possibly be as loud as Katie, Matthew and now the adorable but getting-louder Malaina. It's not her fault, mind you...she lives in a house of insane noise with a mother who HATES extraneous noise!! Their favorite game is running from one end of the house to the other chasing and screaming. Once they get to the playroom couch, they pick up and run all the way back to Malaina's room. Keep in mind the openness of our downstairs...there is no where to escape except for the master bath with the fan on!

Okay - happy now Tina and Trish? :)

new obsessions

Wow! I'm finally a part of the blogosphere! Never thought my obsessions would include texting, facebook and now blogging. What a country! The problem is all of these obsessions require typing and I have wicked arthritis in my thumbs and wrists. It is painful, yet so much fun! Thanks so much to Tina who is ultimately responsible for two of these latest obsessions...texting on my iphone is my own darn fault.