quiet time....

It's been a whirlwind here lately. But today I am staying home.

I am going to bake cookies and make some fudge for our church Christmas celebration, which is on Sunday. And then there is this thing called homeschooling...

My five daughters-in-a-row, the ones who were involved in the car accident, are lovely. Oh, they can quibble and squawk at each other, but when they are all getting along, it is a beautiful thing. They are planning to perform a song on Sunday, John Lennon's old, "So This Is Christmas". Kathryn plays the guitar, and they all sing it, and I think it's amazing...to see them work together, and of course me being totally tone deaf, I think it sounds excellent. I assure them it will be fine, but they keep practicing...

The two little girls are also singing a song. Perhaps I will record these and put them up here, so Ben and Grandma can enjoy them.

Okay, so after all these years of being busy, sometimes I find myself not sure what to do next. Seriously, for several years, that was simply not something I could actually decide...I mean, I never had a choice, really, except for prioritizing what was the most urgent, then dealing with it. The one year old pooped, the newborn needs to be nursed, the two year old got into the Desitin, the four year old needs a nap or a snack or a story, the school kids need help with projects or homework, someone's ear hurts or needs a shower or broke a glass....I would just go from one thing to the next, somehow keeping the house half-way decent along the way. I made it a point to keep their clothes nice and clean and always leave the house with them matching, or at least in similar clothes, and looking spiffy. It was work, from dawn 'til dusk, and mostly on very little sleep. A good nap was a rare treat, always sought after but seldom found. I would bake my Christmas cookies with lots of little hands helping, between nursing and changing diapers and figuring out meals. I would wrap presents when they were all in bed, often juggling a baby too. (I totally miss my Sammers this year, he was my #1 helper wrapping presents. We would go into my room and wrap, and oh the fun we had! He helped me for several years, and I always knew it was the time with Mom that was the draw for him, oh I am sad he can't come home for Christmas this year. He called last night, and I told him all about the decorations here, where everything is, and what it looks like, then I texted him some pictures...he may be 19 years old now, but he is still child-like in some respects, and misses home right now....)

Anyway. My days were filled to the max. Add in doctor visits and appointments and grocery shopping and our frequent adventures and outings, and oh, it was busy.

Now, with nine kids still at home...it seems quiet. There are no diapers to change, no one wakes in the night. The presents are all already wrapped, and stacked under the tree. I can bake several dozen cookies with nary an interruption.

Of course there is still laundry and messes and the daily dinner dilemma...and of course the grocery shopping and the sweeping the floors and cleaning up...I take a break now and then and two little girls scramble up to the arms of my chair, and we talk or read stories, or just sit and relax.

But sometimes, I actually find myself not sure what to do next. With actual time on my hands. Free time, time to decide what I really want to do, or need to do. It's strange.

Paul is working today, but has ALL of next week off. The school kids do, too. Yay!

My kids are all still sleeping. oops, we have gotten on a late schedule. The little girls never sleep this late. Joseph is up, he made the coffee:) My cup is empty, and I think that is a sign to get up and start some cookie dough...although honestly, sitting here in the quiet is very nice....