Stressed Porcupine

Days in the life...

Monday. Was. Full.

I got up at 6:00 to get ready for the day, have my Bible time, drink coffee, eat breakfast, and pack my bag for work.

I worked from 8:30 to 2:30 caring for Luke, Sadie, and Calvin.

Meanwhile, Nana took Ava to her art class.

Mom drove Chloe and Christian to their first day of college class, then went to pick up Ava, and eventually made it back to pick up Chloe and Christian.

I got home from work as Dad and Mia were leaving to take Gabe to his first team gymnastics practice.

Mom, Chloe, Christian, and Ava arrived home as I was finishing my workout and heading to the shower after completing my laundry and cleaning my room and bathroom.

After all of that Chloe and I were both ready to begin our online college classes. But our internet was out. And so was Nana and Grandfather's.

So we had a little down time.

Then Chloe made dinner and I left to go babysit the small group.

Back home I got to talk with Mom and Dad about how everyone's day had gone and not start my class because we still had no internet.

I was grateful for the very valid excuse to go to bed a little early.


Tuesday Kate did not come because her little sister was on her way! So I had the day at home to begin my college class and get a multitude of other things done.

Chloe and Christian had class again from noon to 2:00 like the day before, only they drove themselves this time.

Mom was grateful for a more restful day at home as well. The kids very much enjoyed playing most of the day.

We all ate dinner together. Chloe and Christian both had homework to work on in the evening.

Mom and I spent some time visiting and then watching "Dr Quinn."


Wednesday I was supposed to go work, but one of the kids was sick, so I had a bonus day at home.

I was able to get all my class work done in the morning which felt great.

Mom took Gabe to his gymnastics class and then she and the little girls went to the library until Mia's class at 11:30.

Chloe and Christian, of course, attended their class and Dad and I enjoyed the quiet house until they all returned.

I worked out and took my shower and got some other things done, then journaled until dinner time. After not journaling much the previous two weeks, I guess I lost some hand strength. I was sore after just two hours.

After dinner we watched a "Christy" episode all together and then headed to bed.

The sunsets that week were stunning. 

Thursday morning I left for work. My day looked very similar to Monday, minus babysitting in the evening.

Mom took Christian to the orthodontist and had him back in time to leave for class.

Gabe went to his gymnastics stuff with Mom in the late afternoon and evening.

After dinner everyone but Mom watched "Soul Surfer." When we have seen a movie many times, regardless of how long it has been, there is TONS of commentary (not from Chloe, Dad, or me, but everyone else *wink*), never mind how many requests for silence are made. It was good to see it again, though, regardless of the fact that all tender moments designed to inspire emotional connection were murdered disrupted.


Friday morning my room was a mess. My room is never a mess. It warranted a picture (once in a blue moon event here, ok?). It did not take me long to get it cleaned up and back to normal. Whew!

(Okay, so it wasn't too awful, but you can't see my nightstand.)

I finished my classwork for the first week and then exercised in the afternoon. 

In the evening Gramma and Grandpa brought us dinner and we celebrated the first week of college classes and Dad's birthday. 

Saturday was Dad's birthday!

He and Mom went for an early(ish) morning walk and came back to announce a family work time at the little house. Dad had ordered a 30 yard dumpster to be delivered to the house so we could load it up with all the deconstruction trash and have it hauled off. The task had been weighing on Dad for over a week. So we loaded up about 11:00 and headed over to see what we could do.

The garage was full of trash and there were two large piles in the house. All of it needed to be put in the dumpster and all the dust had to be cleaned up. We thought a couple of hours was an ambitious goal, but after just an hour and a half, the dumpster was overflowing and everything was done. It was the best birthday gift any of us could have given Dad.

By the time we were done, we were all drenched in sweat and had a nice tan, I mean, were so covered in dust that we looked like we had a tan.

This is a triumphant picture.  

Back at home we began cycling through the showers and eating lunch. 

Christian, Ava, and I left for church at 4:00 to be in the pre-service worship and prayer thing and the rest arrived for the service. (No Costco this week.)

Church was really good and we got home before 9:00, which was nice. 

Sunday morning we made brunch and Nana and Grandfather joined us in honor of Dad's birthday.

Once the meal was over and cleaned up, everyone but Mom and Chloe got ready and left to go swim at Gramma's. Those who stayed behind spent the afternoon reading.

We had a nice time. It was plenty warm and humid even though the sun was covered by rain clouds that eventually ended our swim.

Back at home everyone cleaned up and Mom and Dad left for a date.

The rest of us ate dinner and watched "Annie Get Your Gun."

In summary and after some reflection...

Beginning this week I was so overwhelmed. 

I was supposed to do my first online college class ever and work everyday, totaling 30 hours this week. On top of that, Monday when I sat down to start my class, our internet went out and I had to leave to babysit for the evening before it came back on again. 

But God knew how I felt. 

Last minute I ended up not needing to work Tuesday or Wednesday! I was also able to figure out how my class would work and the assignments were easier and faster than I'd expected and planned. 

I survived the first week of class, worked some, got caught up on a few things I was behind on, worked out everyday, and got at least 8 hours of sleep each night. Best of all, I remembered to eat!!!

I'm so grateful for the grace God gave me for each situation each day, it wasn't a perfect week, I still had some struggles, and I'm still *cringes* two weeks behind in my journal, but God is so good!

God will never give us anything He cannot do through us. We can do all things through Him who gives us strength.

Don't hesitate to call on Him when you feel overwhelmed by all that is going on in your life, He longs to show you His faithfulness, and maybe, He just might give you a couple of days off of work! But even if that's not how He strengthens you, you can be sure that He will indeed be your source of strength for whatever it is He has for you to do.

Don't worry, seek the kingdom of God, and praise Him knowing all glory and honor is His. How blessed are we that He has chosen us to point others to Him in all that we do.

I've been pondering...

If it, whatever "it" is, falls outside the boundaries of His perfect plan for me, then I must trust that, regardless of how I feel based off of the limited amount of knowledge I have, I truly don't want whatever God has not allowed me to have.

Trusting His perfect plan and resting in His perfect love that casts out all fear, I can continue walking with my good Father.

That moment when...

You feel the baby's drool, I mean angel juice, running all the way down your arm.

You try to unlock the door to the house with your car-lock clicker. It doesn't work.

Your legs are still shaking two hours after your workout.


The Herd: Quoted 

"Aren't you just so impressed by me?" -Gabe
"Yes! I'm very proud of all my siblings." -Me
"I know. We are just so amazing." -Gabe

"I am awesome at gymnastics! Well, pretty good. I have some talent for it. Not as good as Gabe, though. But still good." -Mia

"I'm a porcupine rolled into a ball with its points going in every direction and people pulling on all those points. That's what all the responsibilities pulling on me are like." -Me

"We have to watch 'Soul Surfer' soon, Lydia is longing to see it again." -Gabe (Not quite sure where he got that idea from...)

"You haven't put me in the herd quoted in a long time." -Chloe
"Well say something!" -Me
"I can't even remember the last time it was." -Chloe

"I'm so used to seeing you with your glasses on so when you taken them off you look weird!" -Mia
"Believe me, when I take my glasses off you look weird." -Chloe

"So what's the secret ingredient?" -Christian serving us lunch.
"I'm not taking another bite until you tell us what you put in here. Last time you put in a 'secret ingredient' it was bay leaves which are poisonous." -Chloe

"When this is done we should take a family picture by the dumpster." -Dad
"I was thinking the same thing." -Me
"I think I will opt out of being in that picture." -Mom
"Hey, you can't look worse than me." -Me
"But the picture will look so much better if someone takes it instead of it being a selfie." -Mom