resting from the whirlwind....

Sometimes life is just plain busy. Yesterday my day started at 3:30, when my alarm actually worked and woke me up to take Ashley to the airport....see, I woke up and checked at least five times because that is what I do when I have to get up for something important. Ashley was very excited to be going to Texas to visit Benjamin, so we talked and laughed the whole way there, about an hour and ten minutes. The way home, I ate chocolate chips and peanuts and sipped my coffee, listened to dorky talk radio, and fought to keep my eyes open.

I got home at the time I usually get up to take Rosie for her walk. So I did that.

Then, I decided to be a really bad mom and let the little kids stay home so I could go back to bed for a nice little nap. To be fair, I wasn't really too horrible of a mom, Suzanne did have a temperature of 99.8 the night before, and was feeling dizzy. I wouldn't want to send her to school like that, and what if the other kids came down with it during the school day?

Shopping: I took Kathryn (13), Suzanne (10), and Sonja (9). If you ever want to have the funnest, laugh 'til your stomach hurts so badly you almost cry, go shopping with these three. (although I would suggest taking Evelyn too, but she happened to be in school like a good girl. And Mirielle so graciously volunteered to watch the younger ones at home). Anyway....these girls try things on and find bargains and fetch things for me, they dance and fool around....they brought their slushies from Target into the bank and - I just cannot explain how everything is an adventure to them. They told me some things they learned on the bus (where babies come from)(I thought Kathryn was going to die laughing), then they wanted to try Big Macs from McDonalds. They had never had one, and they are on special for $2. So I got them one. This was for some reason hilarious to them. Suze didn't even taste hers, she ate a salad and decided to bring hers home to Sam. I behaved myself and got a McDouble, removed the top bun, ate half the rest of it, and gave the rest to Suze. It was still full of fat and sodium, but only a bit more than 200 calories. I am finding it feels better to stick to my DIET than it feels to cheat. Because there are always excuses, reasons why it would be okay to have this or that. My mind is very tricky. But I am learning to overcome those tendencies, and I am fine with it. I do not feel deprived or starving, because I bring apples and almonds and Balance bars with me when I go places. The other day I bought some individual cups of mandarin oranges in pear juice for a treat from the grocery store, for the ride home. It wasn't as good as one of those huge cranberry muffins with toasted walnuts on the top, but I lived. And I felt good about it.

After shopping at Target, Price Chopper and Aldi, we came home and made dinner....taco salad and corn "with peels", according to Charlotte Claire. I prepared the meal, then let Paul take over while Suze and I skipped out to the pool.

So...here we are on Saturday morning. Seven of the kids are in the livingroom, no eight. Some of them have plans...our new rototiller has come arrived at Sears, I shall go pick that up today. The day is new and full of promise, I love it.

Do I have trials? Ha, of course. I don't like to reveal personal things about the kids so I cannot always go into detail...but I get my lack of respect. I get my feelings of Poor Me. I get tired, and I get frustrated, and I feel like all I ever do is run around in circles. Life ain't all sunshine and roses no matter who you are or how much money you have, how many kids you have or who you are married to. But life can be good, very good and blessed if you take your trials right and seek God in those small things.