Life On A Merry-Go-Round

Lately, I have had plenty of days when I feel like life is being lived on a merry-go-round.  You know the kind that spins you so fast that you hang onto for dear life so you don’t fly off.  Many days, I feel like I am not only holding on for dear life but also trying to hold onto my four kids at the same time.  Yup, life gets a little crazy at times.  I can tell this is true because I rarely find time to FB, and I haven’t blogged for awhile.  Both of those things are something I do as “my time” — when everything else has been done for the most part.  Facebook is my only social connection to the world outside of church so I keep up with it or try to.  Blogging is important to me because it helps me actually recall and hopefully preserve special memories with my kids.  Someday, I hope to publish my entries for the kids to read when they are older.  I know that I will at least want to read them again and recall what these days were like.

So what has life been like since the “summer” ended and school began?  Well, let’s see.  I try to begin my day with devotions, nurse Olivia, try to get a shower in so I can feel somewhat awake, get breakfast fixed for everyone, sit down at FB while I eat my breakfast, start a load of laundry, remind the boys to get dressed and to make their beds, get the boys started on school-work, get Luke out of trouble, entertain Olivia, help the boys with school-work, process laundry, make a quick business phone call, hand out snacks, answer more school questions, nurse Olivia again, give Luke something else to do, work with Drew on his phonic’s lesson while Will plays with Luke, gather everyone together for our read-aloud time (Bible, history, science, story-time), send the boys out for recess while I prepare lunch, call everyone in for lunch, eat, clean the kitchen a bit, process more laundry, work with Will on his reading lesson, get Will and Drew situated, read to Luke and put him down for nap time, separate the boys to their own locations for quiet time, nurse Olivia, if time (has happened maybe three times this month) try to catch a 15-minute nap, play with Olivia, pay bills, process laundry, start working on supper, get snacks for awake boys, clean up from school, grade papers, check e-mails from Daddy/Jonathan, organize, check supper, get Luke up, nurse Olivia, try to situate her, set table, welcome Jonathan  home, finish supper preparations, sit down for supper, eat, put away food, clear table, play a short family game, get the boys to clean up play areas, help the boys prepare for bed, pack Jonathan’s lunch, make sure he has clean and ironed clothes for work the next day, feed the fish (third time for the day), clean the fish tank if needed, give the fish its medicine, clean Olivia’s food and apply medicine (second time for the day), give Olivia her medicine (second time for the day), feed Olivia, prepare materials for boys’ schooling for the next day, straighten house, empty trash cans at some point in the day, gather any dirty laundry, check FB quickly before Jonathan uses the computer, eat ice cream with Jonathan while we chat a bit, head upstairs for bed, read a little while he has devotions, nurse Olivia again, get her to bed, prepare myself for bed…  Sleep!

Boring enough?!  There are also the doctor’s visits, trips to the pharmacy, trips to pick up lab work, trips to the grocery store, trips to the auto mechanic, trips to the Salvation Army to make donations, trips to soccer practice, and trips for Luke’s play-group/school time.  There are field trips…  Life just moves right along.  Of course, there are discipline issues and playing a referee while my boys try to define their “territories.”

I wish I could hold onto some of these moments more.  Every time, I look at Olivia I try to just “soak” her in — savor each precious moment I have to kiss her adorable chubby cheeks, to blow on her belly, to babble baby talk with her, to simply rock and  hold her.  I just love my babies!

I wish I could hold onto these moments longer when Lukey comes up to me and asks for a kiss and when he declares, “I just love my ‘Livvia’!”

I wish I could hold onto the moments when Will knocks on my door in the morning because he wants a hug or when he presents me with a creative craft that he designed just for me.

I wish I could hold onto when Drew succeeds in his reading lesson and laughs when I squeal with delight!

I won’t miss the tempers, fighting, and disobedience, but I will miss these days when my kids are still young and little and still mispronounce words in an adorable manner.

In this “Merry-Go-Round” of life, I want my kids and I to be roaring with laughter and having fits of giggles as we spin around while hanging on for dear life.