Life

This morning as I was loading my kids in the car to drive them to the bus stop (Yes, we have to drive to our bus stop!) I had a rare moment. I just felt thrilled about this time in my life. I love having kids. I love that I still feel young. I love watching them blossom. It is exciting. It is rewarding. It is fun.

By the end of the day, my perspective had changed some. I had the more common feeling of being overwhelmed by all my responsibilities.

*Getting three meals a day: something easy to prepare, suitable to the tastes of 5 people,

affordable, nutritious

*Making sure the kids are clean and presentable: bathed, hair combed, dressed in something

appropriate to the weather their genders.

*Getting them to bed on time at night and up on time in the morning

* homework done, including reading 20 minutes a day (doesn't sound like much but trust me..)

*piano practice done: before it gets too dark since the piano is in the room that has no lighting

and amid the noise and chaos of the other children

*Groceries

*bills paid

*soap in all the bathrooms

*lightbulbs replaced

*laundry: need I say more? Always overflowing baskets, never done, I think I am the perpetual
laundress.

*house clean: never every room all at the same time!

*doctor's appointments

*dentist appointments

*exercise!?!

*gifts or cards for family and friends birthdays and various holidays and special occasions.

*oil changed, tires rotated, heaven forbid safety and emissions rolls around

*car washed, or at least the interior cleared of wrappers, shoes, food, sippy cups, papers, etc.

*church calling: varies but always something

*temple

*family scriptures, prayer, and Family Home Evening

*personal prayer and scripture study (make it meaningful!)

*couple prayer (can't remember the last time)

*genealogy

*food storage

*Keeping the kids dressers cleaned out and making sure they have clothes that fit.

*volunteering in the school classrooms so I can be involved in their education

*husband: just something else that requires attention and time (am I the only one that has this

bad of an attitude? Some days, anyway. Just being honest.)

And then you throw into the system a variety of wrenches: hormones, illness, lack of sleep, holidays, vacations...

Jon's always on me to document all these priceless memories, so I gotta blog!! This counts as writing in a journal, right?

Then you gotta find time in there for fun: a hobby, a TV show, a movie, a sporting event, a party, a girls night out, a date, whatever.

Life is busy! Is there ever a point when you are "there". I look at each item on the list and you know what? I can find JOY in each one of them. And I do. There are those days, though, when it's all at once and then I don't find joy in any of it. That's when I need to SLOW DOWN and remember that moment I had this morning. Who cares if it's not ALL done ALL the TIME? So, Charlie wears dresses in public once in a while. And Haily wore floods on the first day of school. And I pull dirty jeans out of the hamper on occasion. And Jon gets neglected WAY to often. And, dentist? Oops. And a corn dog for dinner never hurt anyone. We are getting by. We are surviving. We are THERE.