Finding JOY In The Midst Of It ALL

Finding Joy In The Midst Of It ALL

This is pretty much how my week days go:

Wake up early
Fix hubby’s lunch (or get it ready the night before so all he has to do is put it in his lunchbox)
(if I am really feeling sweet) I’ll get up and fix him an English muffin, egg, bacon bit, cheese and mustard sandwich for breakfast
----and this point if all the girls are asleep I pray they sleep a little longer----
Quiet time (pray for a good day)
Maybe check email … just depends
All 4 girls up now so it’s:
Breakfast
Medicine
Teeth brushed
Clothes on
Set up school DVD’s, get school papers out and ready
Occupy 2 year old while others do school
Run from one room to the next as needed assisting with school
Check on 2 year old
Do laundry
Try to sit and read Bible
Work on devotionals
“Mom, we’re hungry for lunch…what time is it?”
Yes, it’s 11:30 a.m., so what’s for lunch?
Prepare lunch
Clean-up after lunch
Unload dishwasher to reload, wash other dishes that are not in dishwasher
Oh, no, I haven't even thought about dinner tonight...what do I need to get out of the freezer?
Get clothes out of dryer, fold and let them sit on the couch for the girls to put away after school
Read with 1st grader
(sneak a bathroom trip in at some point---those are hard to come by as a BUSY mom….does anyone else understand that one?)
Oh, my it’s 2 - 3 p.m. and I’m still in pajamas…not good…I know…BUT I AM ALWAYS COMPLETELY READY WHEN MY HUBBY ARRIVES HOME.
Gotta convince one of the girls to keep an eye on the 2 year old while I take a shower
Dry hair
Put on makeup
--- oh my….by this point the chicken should already be in the oven and the potatoes peeled----
I gotta get my hair curled before my hubby arrives.
Get hair done
Of course…spray some Liz Claborne on -- my hubby’s favorite -- I wore that while we were dating (I’d love to find something else for a change but every time I try something else he always goes back to lovn’ Liz Claborne…I tease him and tell him it makes him think I am still 18 J )
Supper is on
The girls get the table ready
Gotta put on tea bags for hubby
Finally everything is prepared
We sit down….and it never fails…the little one has to time it just right to need a diaper change….what is a HOT meal?
Finish dinner
Clean up kitchen
Help girls with club books etc
Bathtime for kiddos
Prayer and family devotions
Daddy normally helps get the 2 year old settle down while
I go ahead and brush teeth, remove make-up and prepare for bed.
AND THEN I JUST COLLAPSE into bed!
Get 6-7 hours of rest -- but not without interruptions --
And start the WHOLE process ALL over again the next day.

On top of that…all throughout the day I still have ‘diaper changing’ times!!!!!!!!!!!! And all the ‘unplanned’ cleanups---like spilled milk, water, dumped bowls of cereal or whatever else the 2 year old has on her agenda for the day.


BUT THIS IS MY LIFE so how can I be sure to FIND JOY in the midst of it ALL?????? Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t want it any other way…well, maybe a few more ‘mommy days’ where I could just go to a park…me, my Bible and notebook…but since we have no immediate family in the area that happens only in my dreams. (As I am typing this out to place on my blog, my 2nd daughter is combing my hair and about to put me to sleep. So think I’ll stop for a moment and treasure the moment!)

I plan in the coming days to just concentrate on how we can find JOY in the midst of it ALL! Your ‘ALL’ will more than likely be different than my ‘ALL’ that I just tried to describe above but as Christian ladies, wives, moms…we CAN find JOY in the midst of it ALL!!! Sometimes we just have to take a moment to FIND---I mean REALLY search and try hard to FIND the JOY in the midst of it ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope you’ll check back soon!