never enough time....

As a stay-at-home mom, who rarely stays home, I should by all means have All The Time In The World. Paul thinks I do. But. I don't seem to be able to find all that time. Today for example. Where did it go already? I haven't accomplished a thing yet, and it is almost noon. The sun is shining, our pool filter is turned off because one of the hoses burst the other night, creating an avalanche of water for poor me to rush into to turn the motor. We used The Handy Man's Secret Weapon, duct tape, and fixed it. But. It is still leaking. So I need to take a trip to the small city to the pool store and get another piece of pool hose.

And. Fleas. Yes, lovely lil fleas. We are fighting them. Suri is the proud wearer of the luxuriously expensive K-9 Advantix flea drops. Ha. We have vacuumed and flea-combed the animals with soapy vinegar-y water, we have used flea spray and flea powder, we have set up trick flea swimming pools using bowls of soapy waters set under a lamp in a dark area, sending dozens of fleas to their last swim. I do not have time for this!

Last night I took Evelyn and Suzanne to the movies, for Evelyn's birthday. The movie wasn't bad, but there were times I wished it would just end already, I have no patience for fighting scenes. Wham, bam, if I were hit just once like that, I would run away and never fight again. We went Walmarting afterward, gearing up for the Flea Fight. Plus lots of boxes of Nerds for the nerdy girls, and a huge Hershey with almonds for me...to share, of course. I also bought a bikini for my grand-daughter, who will be born in October. She can wear it next summer and look adorable.

So we went to the beach, just six of the kids and I. We swam in the waves...what fearless little princesses I have! We played in the sand...well, I sat in my chair and soaked in the sun while they played...with the three little cups I gave them since we forgot the pails and shovels, again.

I so nicely stopped and got five Little Caesars' pizzas for dinner on the way home from the beach.

I only ate a few bites of Evelyn's and Suze's on the way to the movie. Don't like to eat stuff like that, although I desperately wanted to.

Okay. Took a break, if you call these last few hours an actual, "break". My sister called, then I got dragged into the vortex which is Kids Sitting Around Talking, which I never said was an unpleasant vortex. We had to decide who is doing what today, today being the day we celebrate Evelyn's birthday by having friends over and grilling burgers for like 22. So there are things to do, and here I am again, sneaking this in....I just want to finish the post:)

I have to go to the store for the burger and buns and watermelon and cantaloupe and a bag of marshmallows. I also have to buy that pool hose and get the propane tank filled.

I have things on my mental To-Do list, like researching and ordering lesson plans and books for Kathryn and Jonathan, cancelling the expensive garbage pick-up and switching to taking trips to the local dump (which means buying some new garbage cans), making a vet appointment for little kitten, researching for a church article about fundraising, writing a resume for our church for catering/serving services, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

I know, I know, everyone has To-Do lists. There are the usual things to do too, like fit in some exercise and feed the kids some lunch. They have been snacking on cold pizza, which I am keeping my hot little hands off of. I had a light lemon chiffon yogurt with almonds for breakfast, I am trying trying trying to behave my not-so-little self.

In all these things though, I am working hard on remembering this: to be thankful. Thankfulness is the greatest weapon against all sorts of sin. Complaining and impatience and wanting to get someone back. (Um, just think to actually stop and be thankful when someone points out that you are rather lazy....or that you interrupt. Because it gives you something to work on, and you get some humility if you are honest.) Anyway. I have things to work on, both in the spiritual and in the earthly.

By the way, did I mention that the Telephone Man came again this morning, bright and early? I stayed up way way too late last night, talking to Mirielle about everything under the sun. Then at 8 am, the princesses were slamming their bedroom door, which I swear, I am going to take off the hinges one of these mornings. Not really. But it crosses my mind occasionally. Anyway. I fell back to sleep, because my eyelids felt gritty and I was way too tired to actually start the beautiful summer day. Next thing I knew, it was nine and the dog was barking furiously. I got dressed in a matter of seconds, threw on the lovely outfit I wore yesterday, put some toothpaste into my mouth and wiped my forehead on the hand towel....yup, Telephone Man was here.

The internet is finally hopefully fixed.

And here I am, enjoying it.

But not for long, I really really have to go. Nothing like Mom sitting on the computer giving out orders. Doesn't fly.