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Last month was packed. John has had an extremely inconsistent schedule, making for an interesting homelife. It's been difficult to establish a routine with the children and Matthew when John's hours change so much from day to day and week to week. But, we're managing somehow. My Mother and Sisters stayed for a fun visit in September, leaving on the 12th. I had such a wonderful time with them, it meant the world to me to have that time to enjoy their company and just renew the family ties we share with laughter, service, and love. Most of the time they spent here was pretty low key, involving things like a 'tea' party, making cookies, going to the neighborhood playground, Cafe Rio, and so on. We did make it to some monuments on the day of their departure, as well as Gadsby's Tavern, and that was nice. Participating in such a fun outing helped alleviate some of my anxiety over their leaving. We enjoyed watching the tourists heads turn and count us as we walked- and laughed about how they may wonder if we're polygamists with our one man, 4 women, and many children! Poor John!
The month passed in a blur with beginning a new semester, this time teaching 2 classes for BYUI. Managing the kids, teaching, and errands/activities while continuing to recover was my number one goal. I had an interesting experience losing my wallet in Annapolis and having it returned by a kind older woman. I must have had angels watching over me with that experience. The honesty of others can really renew one's faith in other people!
The last week of the month really threw us for a loop! It was an interesting one. John had the experience of colliding with a raccoon one early morning on a curving forested road while heading to work. The raccoon met it's demise through this encounter, but so did John's bumper! The insurance deductible combined with the unfortunate news of the demise of our computer on the same day and the costs of recovering data and replacing the computer as quickly as possible made for a rather disheartening day. However, money is not everything and after reevaluating the budget I decided not to waste any emotional energy stressing over it.
Besides the craziness (also had a dead car battery about a week prior), the week was lovely. John had some long shifts, so he was off on Thursday, allowing us the opportunity to go to the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore during their homeschool days. It's a deal you can't beat, and such a tremendously fun place to explore with the kids. We had a lovely time and enjoyed watching the kids explore. It got me excited to start schooling again. Saturday was another action packed day. John had the day off for the first time since July and we took full advantage. After a nice breakfast we packed the kids up and he took everyone but Matthew to St. Mary's city for a "War comes to St. Mary's" event. The kids had a fantastic time, and I was able to complete my grading for the week and grab a few birthday supplies for Theodore just in time for our next outing. Opera in the Outfield was a wonderful experience. For only $10 in parking we enjoyed a memorable evening on the outfield of the Nationals Stadium, picnicking and watching a simulcast of Don Giovanni performed by Washington National Opera. It was a great opportunity for the kids, who did relatively well, and the free candy handed out my M& M/ Mars wasn't bad either! Christopher really seemed to enjoy it, as well as Theodore (though he fell asleep before the end). I think we may have some Opera buffs on our hands, which would delight John and I. We're nerds that way.
October has been uninteresting thus far. We're just plugging away, trying to make the best of each day, which is all you can ever do! We celebrated Theodore's birthday on Monday ( love that boy!) and had a long day Friday as Anna was diagnosed with a double ear infection. We also started school last week, and once we got past the first few days the yelling subsided and I realized we will probably all survive the homeschool year after all! With Anna's toddler antics, Matthews constant needs, far more BYUI work than I should have taken on, John's ever changing schedule and the continuing demands of the other children and homeschooling I truly just take things one day at a time. Sometimes the minutes or hours crawl, but the days are flying and I am grateful for that. I'm also grateful for the refreshment I received this weekend during General Conference. Many talks touched me in some way and some were a direct answer to prayer. One or two expressed things I did NOT want to hear, but that is par for the course for me. Who knows if that's me or them or what. However, the overwhelming positive spirit is enough to balance that out for me and encourage me to keep on keeping on in the gospel, and in life. Here's to a fun October!
1 comment:
You have a "silver lining" attitude about life which is awesome! One day all the craziness will drop down to a low roar instead of a loud one. You can make it!
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