give it to you, too

It was just one of those days.

It was JUST ONE. OF. THOSE. DAYS.

I thought I was going to scream like 12 times.  And I am no screamer.  Except for the whole ICE-creamer thing.  only then.

I am sleep deprived.  Yes.  I am single parenting (do I say this EVERY time Matt is gone? Yes? I am doing it again : SINGLE PARENTS, PLEASE SEND ME YOUR ADDRESS so I can send you a gift basket.  YOU ARE AMAZING. I want to pray for you and send you a trophy.)

I know these things.  But it was still just especially rough.

Nory is teething, and has a cold, and was up by 5:30.  And the girls were up at 6, and it's like everyone woke up on the especially needy and emotional side of the bed.  Like all day.

Matt is the guy who balances all these girlies out.  And Matt is not here Day 5.

E-M-O-T-I-O-N-A-L.

Homeschool, just doing the same thing we always do, was really, really challenging. Nory was not helpful.  I finally got up to the office, which was over-run by students trying to register for next semester, still trying to close off some things from March, spent an hour helping fourth year order shiny silver suits for graduation  on Amazon (picture FOIL shiny), work through all the sizing and language issues and money exchange and delivery, only to finally order them all and be contacted by the seller that they only have 2.  Though they sold us 6.  But they will send us two.

Two baked potatoes walking down the aisle next month ain't gonna cut it. And that hour is never coming back.

Big conversation with several English students who gotta pick it up or they're not going to make it.  They told me they WILL have time to study more soon.  When, exactly?  Next semester.  Probably.  

Tried to set up for transportation for an awesome student outreach to a poor house on Saturday, which included a lot of negotiation over what I mean by FIFTEEN passenger van.

So 22 students?

No.  15.  It's a 15 passenger van.  And even that's tight.  We want to take care of you and take care of the van, too.  Understand?

Yes.  So, 20, and 2 on the ladder on the back?

No.  15 passenger van.  14 passengers.  One driver.

So, 22 skinny students?

uhhhmm.  No.

Got home for lunch crazy late, with friend-who-only-comes-when-she-needs-the-mula playing with the girls, and within 30 seconds, says, "I'm only here because I need money."

Well, at least she made it clear.

Overly hungry girls start arguing over who gets to sit by her.

Our family rule is that if there is fighting over something, it is Mommy's.  Even if Mommy doesn't want it.

So they lost their chairs.  Sofie wail.

Start to argue over who gets the pink plate and who gets the white plate.

So they lost their cool plates.  More Sofie wail.

Ask Lily to pray.  Sofie wants to pray.  Arguing over who gets to pray.

So Mommy gets to pray.

More wail.  (It may have been Mommy wail.)

Sofie forgets she has no chair, and falls in the dramatic fashion only a four-year old can fall in.

you probably heard the wail.

I mean, this was all by 1!

By the time Taco Tuesday rolled around (thank you, conversation about something other than intense feelings, crayon selections and stuffed animals), and Lily somehow pulled the art easel down on top of herself while we were heading out the door with bit-off-more-than-we-should-chew churros cupcakes, and she started crying....which made Sofie start...which inevitably started Nora.

It was all I could do.

A few hours later, and they are all sleeping, and so incredibly sweet and silent.  I love them so dearly. I am so glad they sleep sometimes a little bit.

And there are 30 things I should do to catch up on the humungo piles of work emails and spring newsletters and granola.  And three piece robot suits hunting.

But I am not.

There are just sometimes those days.

Which is why literally pinned literally in front of me is "Be joyful in hope, be patient in affliction, be faithful in prayer."  It's why pinned right in front of me is, "Lord, strengthen my hands."  It's why pinned in front of my face is "take courage, He has overcome the world."

He is pinned right in front of me, the Way, the Truth, the Life and I will not despair.  I will not wail.  I will drink coffee.  I will find something with chocolate in this house (someone near Matt right now give him some York peppermint patties and FORBID him from opening them!), I will let my Father restore my soul, and I will go. to. bed. giving myself lots of His grace.

And that's enough.

Give it to you, too.