Life in a Blender

Lately it seems like we are living in a blender.  We just run and run and never seem to get anywhere.  I was feeling like a whiner about it the other day until I thought about what our life really involves.  So I decided to sit down and write what I do accomplish in a day and see that a lot does get done.  So here is a day in MY life.

• 5:45  Get up and go exercise

• 6:45  Home, shower, breakfast, ect.

• 7:00  Wake kids up get them going, help with breakfast, yell at them to hurry

• 7:20  Jason wakes up, wants cuddled, yell for the kids to hurry

• 7:28  Drive Erin to piano lessons, tell Nate to get Jason breakfast and make his lunch, where is Abby?

• 7:40  Get Abby focused, yell at the kids to hurry

• 7:55  Get Nate out the door, yes he forgot his lunch and so did Erin, take both lunches to the bus stop

• 8:15  Drive Abby's carpool, stop for the blessed diet coke on the way home

• 8:45  Bath Jason, dress, now I'm yelling at Jack to get out of the house!, vacuum, start the dishes and the first load of laundry.Jason wants his first snack

• 9:45  Take Jason to playgroup that I'm in charge of, try to get him to not throw rocks in his clean hair.

• 11:15  Run to the grocery store, we are out of milk and bread, never a good place to be.  Jason wants a snack.

• 12:30  Make lunch for Jason and me.

• 1:00  Jason's nap time, argue with him for an hour and then he finally falls asleep, of course now he only has an hour to nap!

• 2:00  Change the laundry, mop floor, ect. Jason wants a snack

• 3:15  Abby gets home, have a 20 minute conversation about what happened on the bus, and if I thought her bus driver has a girlfriend.  Argue with her to get her piano done!  Start her homework, get Jason another snack.

• 4:10  Erin gets home, have a discussion about how mean her teachers are, argue for her to get her homework done, its a busy night!  (and what teacher assigns homework on back to school night?  Maybe they are mean.)

• 4:30  Leave to pick up Nate at cross country practice.

• 5:15  Home, yell at the kids to hurry and get something to eat, give Jason a snack.  Nate showers, thank heaven!

• 5:45  Tom leaves with Jason to the stake scout celebration (feeding 100 dutch oven he's helped with all afternoon)  I send Nate on his bike to piano lessons and tell him to ride to the stake center after.  He'll be late, but what do you do?  I take the girls to the GATE back to school open house.

• 7:15  Drop the girls off at home, yell at them to finish their homework and piano, and get in the shower.

• 7:20  Arrive late to enrichment, gratefully not missing a friends presentation.  (she did GREAT)

• 8:45  When I get home Tom has seen to the bathing of children, unfortunately, the dutch ovens are still dirty, I don't even care!  Straighten up the house, hear about every one's day.  Get stuff laid out for the next day.

• 10:30  Drop!  And I was the one who laughed at my parents for only making it to Johnny Carson's monaolgue!  I can't even make it that late.

 

It's CRAZY!  I've really tried the last few years to drop things that aren't really important.  And we have cut back a lot but it still seems like we are at the breaking point.  But then we have days that aren't so bad and it all seems to work out.  I really don't know what else we can cut.  I keep telling Tom its just life with four kids.  Which I wouldn't change, but it is hard at times.  My friend has a saying on her wall that says,

"Enjoy this moment, for this moment is your life.

I'm trying to think that way.  So, that is what we are trying to do, enjoy the blender we are in.  I wouldn't want it any other way.  (Except maybe the yelling at my kids part!)

Because this is my journal, a few happenings of September,

• Erin and Tom got to go to a activity girl's overnighter at scout mountain.  They had a blast.  Erin is very excited to go to camp next summer.
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• Nate participated in a city wide service project.
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• Abby gave a talk in church.
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• Erin and I went to a kitchen demonstration to learn Zucchini recipes.  Wow!  you can do alot with a squash.
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• Nate went on a scout overnighter.
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• Erin joined Nate on the Cross-country team.  Nate has been running for a few weeks.  It's fun to watch them and it wears them out!
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• We helped with the school's carnival while the kids had a great time.
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• Dentist appointments, NO CAVITIES!
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• I got to attend the Relief Society broadcast with some friends.  President Monson's talk was amazing.  I feel a little chastised, but I needed it and I will be better.
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• And probably the biggest change in our lives for a long time is I got a job.  It's just part time but it has changed everything at our house.  Just add another mix to the blender!

I hope this post doesn't sound like the longest whine ever, but someday when my kids have kids and are stressed I want them to see that it's normal.  The parents can be mental and the kids still turn out fine!  :)