Reality Check Monday

Lest you think all is sweetness and light here...

-morning started with me in one bathroom and Jeffrey in another, apparently taking off his dirty diaper (the girls were supposed to be "helping" him), screams ensuing, toddler getting poop everywhere and crying.

-soon after, Jeffrey dumps box of cereal as I step out of the room. A second ago there was a girl there in the chair eating, I didn't think I had to protect it.

-clean that up to find we are invaded by ants in the kitchen again even though dh just sprayed poison everywhere. I mean, if we're gonna spray poison, it had better darn work!! Cleaned up as best I could but...

-we had an hour long appointment at the orthodontist to get to, where everyone who saw us went wide eyed with, what was it...horror?...at how many little kids I had with me.

-oh yeah I forgot the screaming fit I had at the kids for trashing the whole house and never cleaning up after themselves. And you know what? I am NOT even sorry for it. I tell them every. single. day that we MUST put things away when we are done with them, and am always following them around pulling them from one thing to say, "You need to put away the last thing." It's not because I am a neat freak, because I'm not (which is probably why we have ants! LOL)...but we are 7 people in a little space, and it is always a disaster. I *need* them to do at least this much.

-Now we are home and the kids are cleaning while I try to eat lunch (they ate) and dd comes to me and says she already has two loose brackets...you know, the ones that were JUST put on an hour and a half ago at the orthodontist?

- Jeffrey has what I thought was some kind of weird eczema on his wrist (looks like little pimply, itchy bumps, almost like a poison ivy? but dd has had similar looking thing on her foot for months and months so I don't think it's that...) but now there are some of the same bumps on his face. Yick. What in the world? And every one of them has some *different* kind of rash or skin problem flaring right now, and I have no idea what's causing it, or even how to deal with it.

-OK, I'm off to continue to scrub the kitchen down. Jeffrey was put to bed without lunch after a total meltdown. Lying there nursing him I just couldn't understand why, that when I'm struggling the most, and pleading repeatingly with God to send some consolation or at least lighten up on the crises, He does just the opposite and opens the hatch wider so more JUNK can fall on me, faster...I wondered if I was really some kind of devil child that doesn't deserve love. I SO fear the loss of heaven, but if even God won't help me get there when I can't do it myself, maybe I don't belong there. Nothing like having a faith crisis while nursing your sweet baby.

It's not even noon. It's a good thing we're not doing school this week. Welcome to my real morning. ;-)

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Reality Check Monday

A friend of mine recently added a little "caveat" to the end of one of her posts, first focusing on all the beauty of the day, then showing what *really* happened in between the beauty - slips, screams, cuts, fights, spills, etc. My heart SOARED realizing that I'm not the only mom living in REALITY and not the pretty-pretty world of homeschooling blogs and forum posts.

Now, no one has ever accused me of being pretty-pretty, but after reading a particular forum post bemoaning all the beauty on blogs and why her life wasn't like that - how do they DO it all, and so well? (Thoughts which I totally understand and relate to, my dear!!), I thought I would give my own little "reality check" posts now and then.

So, for those of you that think everything here is beautiful (in it's own way ;-P) here is my Mother's Day:

--woke up early with one dd, cooked everyone breakfast (it was also 4yo's birthday!)
--had some physical problems which caused problems/pain all day in various ways
--got into two separate arguments with dh that I did NOT start (although I do take blame for continuing them!)
--had to sit separate from family at church because it was crowded, then had to leave Mass 3 separate times due to toddler who needed to be rocked to sleep but kept waking up and crying! Time #2 resulted in my entering a dark room to whisper-yell in mental agony to the crucifix in there. I can be thankful that God doesn't smite me right where I stand at any given moment.
--let a bee into the house when we got home
--made lunch for the 9 of us (my parents were there)
--died inside as my dad offered to move in with us and pay us so we could afford a much bigger house (dying because I **want want want** the house, but just don't think I can live with my parents unless necessary)
--watched as my 4yo opened some great presents, including a huge play kitchen that I bent over backwards to get her, and then had a really loud crazy screaming tantrum that she didn't get what she *really* wanted (Princess Barbie stuff :-P)
-- felt sick all evening, trying to watch the very wakeful toddler, while dh talked to his mom for a hour.
--it being simply "Mother's Day" as an adoptee can be a little conflicting

I also got two great t-shirts for Mother's Day. "They each cost a dollar!" boasted my husband. "Glad you think so much of me!" I kidded back. ;-) (They really DID cost a dollar each, with the coupon they had. I don't mind a bit though, seriously, I needed them, and I love a bargain)

I do have SO much I can be thankful about for Mother's Day, but that's another post for another time. :)

Welcome to Reality Check Monday! :)

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