The Puddles

January is suppose to be the slow-down recuperate-from-the-holidays month.  It hasn’t quite turned out that way!  We’ve . . .

• put away the holiday decorations
• found new homes for all of the new toys
• visited doctors
• planned the next six months of Madie’s troop
• planned the next six months of Ainsley’s troop
• researched and set up violin lessons
• visited Austin to see mom get her award!!
• made the trip educational since we were missing school
• sold Girl Scout cookies
• sold more Girl Scout cookies
• dealt with other issues (not all bad) regarding Girl Scout cookies
• organized Madie’s closet
• started small group meetings back up (there is planning involved but the great outcome outweighs the work)
• organized, registered and purchased almost $1000 worth of tickets and events for two girl scout troops
• taught Sunday School
• worked (and still playing catchup from changing to a new program)
• stressed over church life (again not all bad but just a lot of sad)
• reinvigorated the children to like school again
• started gearing up for huge state tests for 4th grade
• loved on children
• supported husband
• attempted to clean office
• finally convinced husband to fix brand new car that has not worked right since we bought it!  (he even cleaned it up for me!!)
• volunteered in three different classrooms three days a week
• went shopping
• planned menus
• cleaned house
• made breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day
• convinced Ainsley that she needs to go to school
• convinced Ben that homework is not as hard as he thinks it is
• convinced Madie to go outside to play more and to read less
• signed up Ben and Ainsley for gymnastics once a week
• signed Ainsley up for art classes
• remind husband the he is truly gifted in the doing the Lord’s work (eventhough right now his ministry seems to consist more in dealing with budgets, reports, and calendars . . . which are important but probably not part of the job description that Jesus used when recruiting his disciples)
• worked some more.
• tried to set a new bed time of before midnight.
• ran errands, errands, and more errands.
• was a single mom all week while Daddy was at the Theological Conference and then spent a few extra days doing sermon prep for the next few weeks

January has not been slow enough.  Starting next week, we have afterschool activities every day after school and events almost every weekend.  And soon enough Lent will start, then Easter comes, and school will end and the children will be home for the summer.  We are already planning our beach vacation for the summer  . . . in January.  I am stressed thinking about everything.  Chris comes home today and we have survived.  He is coming home and then the kids and I are taking 30 other girls and their families to see Annie tonight.  Then tomorrow we are taking another 25 girls and family members to see the Harlem Globetrotters.  On Sunday we go to church and then I spend all day prepping ourselves and the house for a week of busyness.  My blood pressure is high and Ainsley has a mysterious rash, but I told her the rash had to wait until next week because I don’t have time to take her to the doctor.  But geez . . . my lunch break is over and I need to get back to work!  So back to the grindstone!!