How Does A Mother Get Anything Done?

Words usually come easy to me, but this week has been one of those weeks, you know the kind I mean, the week when time eludes you completely; you have no idea where it goes. You get up in the early morning and the next thing you know its bed time. You are not sure what you accomplished that day but you know you are tired so you must have done something. You fixed breakfast but the dishes are in the sink, you brought in the mail, you sat down to look at it, then the phone rang and so on and so forth.

SO, when I got up today, I prayed, “Lord this is in your hands, I have to get my blog written and I intend to sit right here at my computer until you help me write this article.” I sat down, guess what? God didn’t start typing. I mean, he was supposed to start typing, but he was not doing his part at all! As I sat here, I thought “Well maybe God didn’t hear me right, I better ask him again,” so I prayed again, and this time I asked the Lord to just dictate, I could type it. God still remained silent- not word one did he speak -nothing, nada, zip. I can’t believe that God would leave this to me all by myself- I might mess it all up. As my deadline approaches I begin to (as the kids say) freak out totally.

BUT, as always God had a plan and he had his own time, not mine. As I sat down to write I determined I would sit at this computer all day if I needed too, I must get this written. I informed my family not to bother me I had to get this article written. JUST FOR TODAY, DO NOT DISTURB ME! HA! That was my first mistake as they say; to give too much information to eleven children. You would think I would have learned by now wouldn’t you? Why do we mothers find it so important to inform our children when we need time alone? It is like dangling a banana in front of a monkey and saying “You can’t eat it today, just look at it,” and then walking out of the room and leaving the banana just within reach.

AND SO IT BEGAN ….. The first knock came to my door five minutes after I said this, it was of course, my five year old, Emma, she needed to inform me that the cat had just thrown up on her bed and she could no longer sleep, ever again, on that bed, because you cannot sleep on a throw up bed. She then informed me the color, the type and how much, you know all the important stuff. I got up, stripped the bed, started the washers and gently reminded Emma that all we had to do was wash the bed allow it dry and then flip it over to the other side then it would be as good as new, She didn’t like it and said, “Well you are not going to get me a new bed are you?” I said, “No” and she went off to pout! I came back to my study; I sat down and informed God I was ready once again for him to start dictating my article to me.

The second knock came from my six year old, who thought it very important to inform me that her older sister was trying to make her do Emma’s chores by forcing her to put up Emma’s winter coat, and then she informed in no uncertain terms that it was not her job to do Emma’s chores- that was Emma’s job. Once more I stood up, this time to clarify with my eleven year old daughter, Rachel, for the hundredth time, that she is not the boss of the six year old and if she needed someone to put Emma’s coat up she could just as easily walk over to the mud room and hang the coat up. Again I am told, this time by Rachel, it is not her job to hang up Emma’s coat, either. NOW, this reasoning I do not understand and I guess only an eleven year old could understand it; but if it is not her job to hang up Emma’s coat, why then is it Cassie’s job to hang up Emma’s coat? HOWEVER, not being afforded the luxury of thinking like an eleven year old, and after being given the “LOOK” that only an eleven year old can give you saying “Mom you are such a dork;” I chose to walk away happy that one more disaster had been averted, and I sat back down to write again.

OK, GOD let’s get going here, I am ready. I put my hands on the computer a little too fast, I heard a yell of anger as my thirteen year old son throws a fit because his eleven year old brother has put on the wrong shoes, (without socks mind you) and has gone out into the snow. Now to an adult this is not such a horrible thing, BUT to a thirteen year old boy it is the end of the world. Now I have to disinfect foot fungus, (that my son does not have but his brother is sure he has) from these shoes. Disaster averted. Next comes Emma again, crying tears of total pain, she was feeding the kitten and it scratched her. Now I cannot see this boo boo, there is no blood, not even red, BUT Emma can see blood squirting out of her hand and she is going to die or so she says. Water, Band-Aid, Life saved, Mom a huge hero, disaster averted.

Finally, silence! I put on my headphones, I turn up the music, cue God, your turn now, and what do I write? Then a scream, not just any scream, but a blood curdling scream of joy, Emma has passed her big brothers’ score on the PS3; she is running, screaming, jumping, dancing and hugging everybody so I got in line, it is not every day a five-year-old can pass a thirteen-year-old’s score, you know. LOL! Next the newly turned nine-year-old enters the study with a huge smile, and two papers in her hands. “I have two pictures for you.” What is a Mother to do, but stop and look at the pictures that were drawn with love? Even though I cannot tell what most of it is, (she is an abstract artist) I took the time to listen to the story behind each picture, and to hug her and then shoo her out to start one more time.

So is the life of a mother of eleven, there is never a dull moment, there is never a quiet moment, I may never take a bath without the door being knocked on fifty times, I may not get a nap, and I may never have one moment of peace but you know what? This is the life that I chose, and it is the life that God has blessed me with. It is the life that I adore and I would not change it for all the money in the world.

But I feel as if I did not accomplish anything here, what did I tell you that encouraged you, what did I give you that screams GOD CARES? I don’t see anything but God does and he says we are finished, I have showed that every mother has one of THOSE days, but even in midst of the chaos, we do achieve a goal, just a different one that we set for ourselves. God showed me that taking time for my children is more important than any clean house and it is the same for you. You are raising your children to love the Lord and you are teaching each child that he is more important than anything or anyone else, you build self esteem and you teach love, AND ABOVE ALL you have given to your child more than any clean house could give. By the way, the picture up top is an actual pile of clothes that needed to be washed in my house…LOL!!!

Sorry no winner for Saturday's drawing....no one entered. Maybe next time.

God bless you all!
Rise'

Hope to see you in two weeks. Tuesday, March 9th to be exact!


Wednesday's Blog: Michele, "Single Working Mom"