hmmm

Things that test my patience:

1. Chapstick in pockets in the laundry.

2. Eating while walking around, dropping crumb trails.

3. Unattended drinks left in dangerous places. (like on the table where the Wii and dvd player are)

4. The dog's leash not being placed in it's usual spot.

5. Those who think it is okay to wear their shoes across the floor because they are in a hurry.

6. Dirty socks found in various places. What, are they planning on wearing them again? Why oh why can they not just go straight to the hamper? Do they think dirty socks look NICE on top of the rolltop desk?

7. Sharing my vacuum cleaner. I seem to have a special talent for emptying it and wrapping up the cord properly.

8. Dishes placed into the sink without getting rinsed off.

9. Clothes taken from the dryer and plopped on the couch.

10. Unflushed toilets.

11. Uncapped toothpaste.

12. Toothpaste all over the bathroom counter and in the sink.

13. Eating or drinking at the computer table.

14. Jackets and backpacks strewn mindlessly. Okay, one or two would be no big deal...but 6 or 7....rrr.

15. Empty cereal boxes or cardboard put on the kitchen floor next to the garbage can instead of in the bin on the deck.

16. Sections of the newspaper left in the bathroom.

17. Being told the cat has no food. Hasn't had any in one or two days, perhaps.

18. Ice cube trays with one ice cube.

19. Playing "find the phone".

20. Playing "find the tv remote".

21. Playing "find the hairbrush".

22. Discovering there is only one egg in the carton. Or none.

23. Having 5 open tubs of soft margarine in the refridgerator.

24. When one teenager rolls his eyes at me and another teenager gives that subtle nod of agreement that Mom is being ridiculous.

25. When they say, "I HEARD you!", yet they do everything wrong.

26. Hearing, "My shoes are to small, I don't have ANYTHING to wear today!"

Obviously this list could be very very long. So I must balance it out...

Things I love....

1. When one of the kids apologizes.

2. When Rosie actually comes when I call her.

3. Seeing someone take out the garbage without being asked.

4. The older kids taking the little ones outside. Happily.

5. One of the kids offering me a cup of coffee.

6. That sleepy look the little ones have in the morning.

7. The excitement and rebelliousness of letting them skip school and have fun at home.

8. Dressing them neat and clean.

9. Cute little girls with nicely brushed hair.

10. Kids who start to grow up and take their own showers. (Jonathan took his own this morning.)

11. Hearing, "Thanks for dinner, Mom."

12. Also hearing, "It was good."

Why is it that I can think of more things that bug me than please me? Oh well. Miss Charlotte Claire is up and she wants a bath. Miss Evelyn Joy is home from school because her tummy hurts, which means she has a good book that she wants to read.

I am going over to school to talk to some teachers about my dear Samuel. With all my kids older than Sam, (Emily, Abigail, Benjamin, Mirielle, Joseph (well, not always Joseph...but if he actually WENT to school, he did all the required work...with him, it was getting him to school), Aaron, and Mali), I have had absolutely no problems with them being self-motivated and doing all their school work. So this sort of snuck up on me, having Sam not be able to handle all of his classes. He can ace one, and fall behind in another, then catch up in the one and fall behind in a different one. I can totally relate to this because it is exactly how it is for me around the house, but anyway....sometimes I wonder where I have been and what I have been dealing with and all of the sudden I wake up and see there is a problem with something or someone. So I am meeting with the teachers to see if we can work together to get him all caught up in all his subjects so he can pass the grade. He is a brilliant boy, but he does have his issues. Once we get him through this grade, I will be making some changes...we have already asked him not to play any video games during the week, even if the homework is caught up, and he is agreeable to that. It is nice to work with him and let him know that it is not ME against HIM, but that I love him and want to help him succeed. We have had much fellowship and closeness in all this, and I am thankful for that. He is a good boy with a tender heart, and I thank God that He can help me be patient and get past Sam's gruffness and defenses to work with him.

I admit that sometimes it seems overwhelming to deal with so many different things around here. I need to let go of how I think things should go, and just deal with what is before me. Life isn't a competency test, thankfully.

I am trying to tell Rosie that we WANT those men to come take our garbage, they are not stealing it, and she needn't bark and growl at them. ha. She does not believe me.

Well, now Miss Camille is up. I put my diaper bag in my room the other day during the Great-Clean-The-House-For-Company event. Miss Camille likes this because she can change into the spare diaper-bag outfit, eat some gum, find the baggie of keep-busy-during-the-meeting crayons, and also the emergency crackers. All in my room without me even knowing she is awake yet. I think today I will remove what is left of the diaper bag from my room.

The longer I write the more apparent it is to me that I am putting off all the things around here that are calling me.....