Busy Days

Whew! We are getting back to a somewhat normal schedule and, boy, are we busy! It just doesn't seem like we should be this busy, we don't do anywhere near as many activities as some people, but the days are gone before I know it.

We got our part-time munchkin back yesterday (the 6-month old I babysit during the day). He is a very easy baby, but still... he is a baby. It is amazing how even the easiest baby manages to gobble up the time. Still we were all very happy to have him around again during the day. It is so much fun to see my munchkins interacting with him, they get such a kick out of everything he does! It warms a mother's heart.

Late yesterday afternoon my husband received word that a group of contractors would be coming to our house at eleven o'clock, today to do a walk-thru and bid on the abatement that will be done when we move in June. (We live in Coast Guard housing and the house we live in is due to be gutted and remodeled after we move, and because there is asbestos in the walls they have to have special people come in to deal with that.) So we had one evening and one partial morning to get every room in the house presentable! This may not be a big issue for some but for this family it is. Housekeeping is definitely not my primary gift (nor my husband's) and my kids are, well, kids - though I must say Joshua's bedroom stays pretty clean. We usually have some rooms presentable, but rarely all! So instead of blogging last night, I was cleaning and supervising kids cleaning...which sometimes seems to take more effort.

Then after all the hustle and bustle of getting the house presentable eleven o'clock rolled around this morning and...nobody showed up. At around two o'clock Josh found out that they would not be doing the walk-thru until January 22nd, when they will do it at the same time as our annual inspection! Aurgh!! Whoever gave Josh the information yesterday hadn't talked to the right people yet so we got the wrong information. The joy of dealing with the government. Looking at the bright side, at least I have a really clean house. (-:

The boys are still hard at work on their merit badge requirements. I have offered to type out some things as they dictate to me, which also eats up the time. Tonight I took the boys to a city council meeting, which is a requirement for the communications merit badge. They both actually enjoyed it and Isaiah wants to go on a regular basis. (I found it interesting myself so I will take him if he wants to go.) They got to meet the mayor and talk to him for a few minutes during a recess between the city council meeting and the urban renewal meeting, which we stayed for to see if there would be more points of view to better fulfill their merit badge requirement. There was more discussion and we are glad we stayed, though it is now much later than I would like. After the meetings the mayor came up and gave the boys his card and told them to call him if they have any questions, then he thanked us for coming. I thought that was pretty cool.

We are all enjoying our family Bible reading (we are reading the Bible in a year, together) which we do as soon as Josh gets home from work and changed. I am keeping on track with my Bible reading (reading the Bible in 90 days), though not with my blogging about what I am reading. I have taken notes, however, so I will be able to update later...if I ever have some extra time! I am thoroughly enjoying reading so much of God's Word everyday. I do have to adjust my reading habits...in that I prefer to have total quiet and no distraction when I read my Bible (perhaps one reason I have not been reading it enough) but if I am going to get 10-15 chapters a day read I need to be willing to read next to the kids while they school - taking breaks to answer questions, read while holding and jostling the baby, etc. Yesterday was nice in that I read 5 chapters in the morning and then I was able to hide away in my room at bedtime and read the last 10 in peace while Josh ran interference with the kids while they finished cleaning and got ready for bed.

I am so thankful for the many good things this year has already brought. Each day I am reminded of how truly blessed we are and I just thank God that he has seen fit to deal so graciously with us. With each trial and temporary frustration I am just reminded that I need to lean on Him and as I do, I grow and learn and, hopefully, do a little better the next time around. As we swing in to full gear with school and activities I just need to remember to stop - take a breath, and hand it over to Him...and, you know, He just handles it all so much better than I!

Blessings on your day!