Tuesday, December 2, 2008

A Stressful Day at the Zoo

Well it is that season again. Where the weather changes and the "animals" get restless and sick. It started with Esther and her congestion and now all the children have runny noses and coughs. Now Colton has double ear infection and has to have breathing treatments. You have to love the season of Christmas trees and Kleenex.

I was watching a show and a man told a SAHM (stay at home mother) with sick kids that he knew how she felt. The mother replied, "No you do not you get to go to work!" The man went on to say, "remind me to send my wife flowers." That is so true. At the end of the day when I think that I cannot handle another cry, whine, scream, cough, sneeze, question, or tug on my pants my children do something that makes me smile and forget for a moment what a horrible day that I think that I had.

It is funny how I start to think about how it would be nice to work with people that can carry conversations with me and that actually do what I tell them to do 100% of the time, and then one of my children does something to remind me that I am where I need to be and that I do not want to miss all the neat little things that they do on a daily basis. Like today I actually saw Elijah share with his brothers and Esther. I saw Elijah have compassion on Esther when Jacob decided that Esther needed to be without the toy that she had picked out of the pile. Those are the things that I love seeing for myself; events that warm my soul.

Do not get me wrong my house is crazy most of the day and my children do know how to stand on the last nerve and bounce up and down just enough to stretch it but now break it. God and I have numerous conversations throughout the day where He laughs and has compassion and I get to vent but at the end of the day God tells me "I told you so" and reminds me that He gave me these children/zoo animals for a reason. That He hand-picked me to have five children and be able to stay home and raise them.

So as I wipe another nose, snuggle and kiss another "boo boo", sing one more "head, shoulders, knees and toes", and change five more diapers before the end of the day, I smile to know that tomorrow there will be other moments in my day where my children warm my soul and I get to be there.

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