Labor day holidaypurge
Because the work/school week is so busy for us, Roger and I decided that this holiday weekend we would do less. And we did. We did some cleaning up around the yard and swam. We cooked some good food and we went to Church. We took naps. Yep. me, too. We watched the movie: McFarland.....(Highly recommend it.) It sounds lovely, does it not? Claire was away for the weekend with a friend. Isaac got invited to go boating today with his best buddy. Roger took Jeremiah golfing this afternoon.......
lovely.
These things ALL happened. Also. Between the lines of lovely lived......less than. I need to figure out how to write and chronicle the "less than" moments. I will try tonight. No sympathy cards or casseroles needed this time, ok? (I will definitely let you all know when I do tho!)
Here's to living between the lines.....Friday we learned that our reliable car, the one that we planned to pass on to Claire in 2 weeks for her 16th birthday......is about done. We felt frustrated and overwhelmed, thinking we now had to find another car that was safe for her to drive......feeling like we can't catch a break. Ugh. Then, Roger found an old mustang convertible and we were like......."that would be fun!?.....". No decisions made yet but if life hands you lemons don't just make lemonade.....look up recipes for all kinds of yummy lemony things, ya know?
Friday night we went to Claire's home football game to watch her dance at half time and it was fun and great......and we are trying to adjust to a new dance team coach......and a sophmore in high school....and I was worried about the quarterback who got his bell rung. His mom is my friend. We got home and littles were awake.....until very, very late.
Saturday -oh gosh-I have no idea what happened Saturday.......oh yeah. My mom showed up at 6:45 to take the big kids to Sioux Falls to serve at the homeless kitchen called "The Banquet" and we all overslept....cuz we were awake too late Friday night. fun times. She got them up. I apologized. We moved on. Lots of friends with kids came to swim cuz its the last hot Saturday of the year....and Fall is right around the corner.....and Grace had a long talk with her family. Her dad has liver cancer and it is progressing rapidly. She was sad and scared. We talked a long while about that and I prayed with her.
Sunday morning my mom called. Papa Rick had the flu so no Sunday brunch at their house. After morning worship, she and Precious took all the yummy food to our house and we feasted......and I should mention somewhere that Precious has had a long season now of very hard days and nights......and these hard times have been going on all weekend and for days and weeks prior. Screaming, crying, throwing things.....we call them meltdowns. She is melting down alot these days. Both Precious and Joe have had runny noses and sneezes and coughs.....and just cuz....why not....this culminated last night. Both little ones coughing and sneezing and spreading germy spores everywhere......so yeah.
Josiah was up a good part of the night last night with fever, coughing, crying. We ended up sleeping on the couch. Grace stopped studying around 2am and went to bed.....and today, I woke up feeling spent. On Labor Day. Precious started her tantrums again immediately and I......well. I was just done. The door bell rang. My sweet friend Karla made me a fall wreath and had another friend Glenda drop it off....it was like a kiss from Heaven....before the next onslaught of tantrums from Precious.
Hear this.
She is a hard child. She doesn't live in a wheel chair or need a blind person stick....but she has an invisible disability that causes stress and havoc on us every day. I love her. So much. This has been a really hard weekend. True to form, I came outside tonight for a few deep breaths and some fresh air and rest. Of course, P followed. She found the music station on my phone and began to dance.....and as she danced and moved and tapped into the deep part of who she was.....I could let go of all the other stuff. I could forgive her and enjoy her and appreciate her. Oh, dear child. How can you be so wonderful and yet make life so, so hard........
Labor Day.
For me? It's the labor of love. Loving my older kids who want to be away and enjoy friends. Loving my Jeremiah who snuggled with P and supervised Joe for awhile so I could shut my eyes for a moment. Loving Roger for being freakishly patient and persistent with Precious until she completed the chore she was assigned today. Loving Grace as she grieves her father's terminal cancer and how to face her future without him. Loving Josiah for trying to wear underwear even tho he peed all over the floor twice today and accepted a bath as long as I agreed to not wash his hair.
A friend stopped over and noticed that I looked tired. Hell, yeah. I'm tired. But. I. Do. Not. Labor. In. Vain. I do not. I labor unto something greater than me.
We have been home this weekend and that is a good thing. Tomorrow, everyone goes to school and work. Hopefully.....Violetta is planning to come and clean this house for me.
lovely.
These things ALL happened. Also. Between the lines of lovely lived......less than. I need to figure out how to write and chronicle the "less than" moments. I will try tonight. No sympathy cards or casseroles needed this time, ok? (I will definitely let you all know when I do tho!)
Here's to living between the lines.....Friday we learned that our reliable car, the one that we planned to pass on to Claire in 2 weeks for her 16th birthday......is about done. We felt frustrated and overwhelmed, thinking we now had to find another car that was safe for her to drive......feeling like we can't catch a break. Ugh. Then, Roger found an old mustang convertible and we were like......."that would be fun!?.....". No decisions made yet but if life hands you lemons don't just make lemonade.....look up recipes for all kinds of yummy lemony things, ya know?
Friday night we went to Claire's home football game to watch her dance at half time and it was fun and great......and we are trying to adjust to a new dance team coach......and a sophmore in high school....and I was worried about the quarterback who got his bell rung. His mom is my friend. We got home and littles were awake.....until very, very late.
Saturday -oh gosh-I have no idea what happened Saturday.......oh yeah. My mom showed up at 6:45 to take the big kids to Sioux Falls to serve at the homeless kitchen called "The Banquet" and we all overslept....cuz we were awake too late Friday night. fun times. She got them up. I apologized. We moved on. Lots of friends with kids came to swim cuz its the last hot Saturday of the year....and Fall is right around the corner.....and Grace had a long talk with her family. Her dad has liver cancer and it is progressing rapidly. She was sad and scared. We talked a long while about that and I prayed with her.
Sunday morning my mom called. Papa Rick had the flu so no Sunday brunch at their house. After morning worship, she and Precious took all the yummy food to our house and we feasted......and I should mention somewhere that Precious has had a long season now of very hard days and nights......and these hard times have been going on all weekend and for days and weeks prior. Screaming, crying, throwing things.....we call them meltdowns. She is melting down alot these days. Both Precious and Joe have had runny noses and sneezes and coughs.....and just cuz....why not....this culminated last night. Both little ones coughing and sneezing and spreading germy spores everywhere......so yeah.
Josiah was up a good part of the night last night with fever, coughing, crying. We ended up sleeping on the couch. Grace stopped studying around 2am and went to bed.....and today, I woke up feeling spent. On Labor Day. Precious started her tantrums again immediately and I......well. I was just done. The door bell rang. My sweet friend Karla made me a fall wreath and had another friend Glenda drop it off....it was like a kiss from Heaven....before the next onslaught of tantrums from Precious.
Hear this.
She is a hard child. She doesn't live in a wheel chair or need a blind person stick....but she has an invisible disability that causes stress and havoc on us every day. I love her. So much. This has been a really hard weekend. True to form, I came outside tonight for a few deep breaths and some fresh air and rest. Of course, P followed. She found the music station on my phone and began to dance.....and as she danced and moved and tapped into the deep part of who she was.....I could let go of all the other stuff. I could forgive her and enjoy her and appreciate her. Oh, dear child. How can you be so wonderful and yet make life so, so hard........
Labor Day.
For me? It's the labor of love. Loving my older kids who want to be away and enjoy friends. Loving my Jeremiah who snuggled with P and supervised Joe for awhile so I could shut my eyes for a moment. Loving Roger for being freakishly patient and persistent with Precious until she completed the chore she was assigned today. Loving Grace as she grieves her father's terminal cancer and how to face her future without him. Loving Josiah for trying to wear underwear even tho he peed all over the floor twice today and accepted a bath as long as I agreed to not wash his hair.
A friend stopped over and noticed that I looked tired. Hell, yeah. I'm tired. But. I. Do. Not. Labor. In. Vain. I do not. I labor unto something greater than me.
We have been home this weekend and that is a good thing. Tomorrow, everyone goes to school and work. Hopefully.....Violetta is planning to come and clean this house for me.
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