Are you there God? It's me Heather!

How exactly does one let God know that one has had all that one can handle? Seriously? Prayer? Letter? Telegram? Owl? What's the secret path to relief?

I only ask because I am starting to feel a smidgen overwhelmed. Life for me is, in general, slightly near overwhelming on a normal day. That I'm okay with. I know I own that for the choices I've made. However, some days it feels like I've been thrown the work of one hundred other mothers as well.

This past weekend we went camping with Aisling and a few friends as a little birthday treat. (Blog update coming). Then, on Monday afternoon I left to drive to Boston for a work training. I met up with my best friend from high school on monday evening, and then Tuesday morning headed into Boston. All day tuesday and Wednesday I was in Boston at a residential hospital based school program for kids with Autism and behavior disorders run my a mentor of mine. The two days were overwhemingly full of fantastic information! I rerutnred home to the damily on Wednesday at around 11:00 PM.

Thursday morning I went right back to work. Cue to Thursday afternoon; the dreaded call from day care. Siobhan, they think, has lice. *SHUDDER*. It's okay, go ahead and Shudder again.

I brought her to the doctor, and sure enough, she does. I cannot tell you how often someone at her day care has had lice and I have commented on how it's the worst thing I could imagine having to deal with. Well, now I can tell you with great certainty, it's the worst thing I have ever dealt with.Not only does she have it, but she also passed it along to Aisling. I am also quite sure that I have it too. (Damn co-sleeping family!)

Thursday night was the Harry Potter event. I did not want to let Connor down, so we went to it. (Late). However, there were countless bags of cloth things to bag up; rugs and beds to vacuum; children to shampoo; and nits to find. The children did not go to sleep until after 10:30.

Cue Friday morning: Siobhan woke up with one eye stuck shut. Darnit. I pretty much ignored it and hoped it would go away.

It didn't.

Friday afternoon we went back to the doctor and got a prescription for pink eye.

Did I mention that Saturday is Aisling's birthday party? Because I was away and then the kids had lice, we still had not purchased anything for her party. (In fact, I forgot to invite some of the people she wanted to have come. That poor kid always seems to get shortchanged in her birthday. The summer can be so nuts.

So, tonight we took the kids out for a quick dinner, then went to Iparty to get her birthday stuff.

However, we neglected to remember that we still had to nit pick; vacuum everything; and put all the sheets in the dryer on hot for 20 minutes.

Again, bed after 11:00.

Tomorrow is her party. Then, Al and Connor are leaving for a week of overnight camp on Sunday morning, so; next week I will be all alone.

I need to know, then, how do I let God know that I have reached my limit? I can't really take any more crises; most definitly not next week.

Busy

Are you seeing a theme here?!
I am LOVING my classes and my new job. Love doesn't even seem like strong enough a word. I am doing what I was meant to be doing and it's awesome and exciting. It's also overwhelming and terrifying and exhausting. My classwork has added at least 15 hours of work to each week, if not more. Add that to the fact that I am suddenly working full time for the first time in ten years, and, well, you get the idea. The big kids both played baseball this spring as well as maintained dance lessons and scouts. I am so glad they are able to do this stuff, and it definitely is making them well-rounded kids, but it makes life a drain sometimes. Al and I hardly see each other on a daily basis anyway, but add all of this into the mix, and, well, days go by before we are able to have a conversation. I am hoping that when I finish this classwork (next April) that this speed slows down a little bit. I hope that in the meantime people understand why we may not be showing up to every social event offered. It's not you, it's me; I swear. ;)

Understand, however, that this is the choice we've made. We have had conversations with people multiple times who ask us things like: Why do we still have Wyatt? Was Siobhan an accident? What were we thinking? This is the life we have chosen, and we have talked very seriously every step along the way. I wouldn't change it for anything. Wyatt is here because we love him and at this point could not picture our lives without him. When his presence is no longer feeding our souls our our children's' souls (or his soul) well, then we will discuss his moving on. Siobhan was absolutely not an accident. We always wanted a big family, and, through the grace of God, we have that.

It often feels like people are "worried" about us. I understand that, I do. Sometimes I do question the choices we've made. But, don't worry about us. We're fine. (We could sometimes use a little help with some babysitting.... if anyone's interested!) ;)

I just felt the need to get that off my chest. Continue to stay tuned for updates on our life. I hope to be adding some pictures soon of trips we've taken recently.

Thanks for all the love!

Threat level=Red

This morning we had a true emergency at our house. The coffee maker wouldn't work. I know. Take a minute to compose yourself'; I'll wait.

Better?

I tried several things to get it to work again; being so technically savvy and all. I unplugged it and plugged it back in, tried plugging it into a different outlet, and then I pounded on the side of it. Somehow those things still did not work.

The only option was to run to Dunkin Donuts to get a coffee.

Let's remind ourselves here, I am home alone for the week with all four kids. None of them are old enough yet to stay home alone. (Don't think I haven't thought about it....) So, it was time to shuffle them all into the car. All of them. All four of them.

Those of you that have met my children will understand that this process can take up to an hour. First there's phase one: get dressed. This includes the Find the Boots process, then the Put the Boots on the Right Feet process, finally there's the Find the Other Mitten process. Next comes phase two: Walking to the Car. This involves me helping Wyatt slowly make his way to the car while yelling at the other three to stop running all over the front yard and throwing snow at one another and For Crying out Loud Pick up the baby She fell into a Snow drift!!! Next is phase three: Buckle In. This involves finding seatbelts, complaining over who gets to sit in the middle, yelling that there isn't enough room to buckle in, and finally, actually buckling in.

Today int he midst of phase three; one of my best friends Simone stopped by. She had a gift for Siobhan, her God daughter. (she also had a coffee maker for me to use tomorrow... Thank God!) Because Siobhan is her Goddaughter, she only brought a gift for Siobhan. Aisling and Connor get their own special gifts from their Godparents; just not at that particular moment. (You totally see where this is going, don't you?) Connor was so peeved about this particular grievous oversight that he took it upon himself to pound on Aisling. (obviously that makes sense....) His punishment for that assualt was that he had to stay inside and could not go next door to play. Why? Why is that our punishment when kids misbehave? Shouldn't it be that we send them away? "You hit your sister. Therefore you will go next door and bother the mommy over there. See you in three hours". That would be so much easier for me, just saying.

Finally we all piled in the car and actually made it to Dunkin Donuts. By that time I needed a large coffee (and maybe a shot of something...) I bribed the kids with munchkins, you know, because I am a behaviorist and all.

Next it's time to make lunch. This should take about three hours.

Trade?

This is our schedule for the upcoming few days:
Thursday: Aisling, baseball cookout and awards: 6:00
Connor: dress rehearsal for dance recital: 6:00

Friday: Wyatt birthday party: 6:30-8:30
Connor: baseball pizza party and awards: 5-7

Saturday: Aisling: dress rehearsal for dance recital: 9:00-10:00
Connor: Cub scout awards and final pack meeting: 4:00-7:00
Family welcome to summer party at a friend's house: 2:00

Sunday: Church: not happening (9:30-11:00)
Connor: dance recital: 11:30-2:30

Monday: Wyatt: 6th grade graduation: 10:00
Aisling: dance recital: 6:00

Would anyone like to trade?
Please?
Pretty please?

It's not a mouse!

Recently Al thought he heard a cat stuck in our pantry. After investigating, he discovered that Wyatt (whose room is right next to the pantry) was awake, and assumed that's who was making the noise. The next morning, while making lunches, Al discovered some, eh, proof that a cat had been in the pantry. He cleaned it up and we all went to work.

That afternoon, I went in the pantry to get snacks, and discovered that all the proof was not cleaned up. After silently cursing Al for a moment I began cleaning it up. I realized there was lots and lots of it....

I was having to pick things up and move things, because this proof was even under things. As I picked up a box of some insignificant product, there curled in a little ball beneath it was......

"NOT A MOUSE NOT A MOUSE NOT A MOUSE" Was what I could spit out. It actually was:
That, ladies and gentlemen, is a POSSUM!!!! In my pantry, with my food!
Only, when I saw it, it looked like this:
I truly am shocked that you didn't hear my screams.

We called a few pest companies who, for some odd reason, did't think our little friend was an emergency! Needless to say, I was not about to sit down to dinner just a few feet away from this guy, so we went out to eat. The kids did their best impressions of a possum:(Clearly Siobhan's is the best)

Our possum removal guy came the next day. He theorized that perhaps the cat brought in the possum. (I love my cats, I love my cats.... must remember). Another pleasant surprise was that the possum was actually injured. Yeah, yeah, poor possum.... but check out my pantry... (Be warned.... it's gross)

The whole pantry looked like that. A fried of ours said it looked like CSI.

Needless to, I got a brand spankin new pantry out of the deal. It is *sweet*. I almost with I could sleep there. Although, I said that about the new mudroom too, and now it pretty much looks like the rest of our house.... a huge mess of crap lived in.

I've wanted a new pantry for years, so I guess it wasn't all bad....

Woulda. shoulda, coulda...

So, we own this:


It's an amazing device that stops a flood from your washing machine before it begins. A sensor on the floor stops the water. A great idea, really. My mother in law bought it for us (Thank you!) However.... we never installed it. We've owned it for like, ever, and never put it in. (I bet you can see where this is going.....)

Anyway....
Today Aisling wanted to take a nap with me, and who can refuse that! So, we went into her bed, and spent the better part of an hour talking about taking a nap, but not actually taking a nap. Wishful thinking, I guess. After a while I got up to put Siobhan into her cradle so she could sleep. (At least someone was resting). As I walked through the hallway I noticed it was SOAKED. Not damp, or wet, but SOAKED!!! I brought Siobhan into her cradle and came back to investigate. The washing machine, which I had loaded before the nap fake out, had never stopped filling. It was just continuing to fill with water over and over again. So, there was lots of standing water in the bathroom, and it was continuing to head down the hallway. It was also in Connor's room. We're talking serious amounts of water. Now, we don't actually own a mop. We have pergo floors everywhere, and they are not supposed to get wet (ha ha) so we clean with a wet swiffer. So, thinking fast I went to get every-towel-in-the-house. Yup, that barely touched the mess.

Since the bath towels were not enough, I decided to run outside to the deck box to get the beach towels. In the act of running downstairs, I heard the doorbell ring. I looked over to the mudroom to see our next door neighbor (Connor's seven year old friend) was standing in the mudroom. Now, that's not unusual, except that he was getting rained on... from the ceiling!!! Needless to say, I wasn't the most gracious host to our poor friend, and I yelled so loud he ran home calmly sent him on his way. I investigated and discovered that it was, indeed, pouring in the mudroom.




Now, sensing my level of stress, Aisling, of course, helps out by beginning to cry and yell. So, I calmly informed her that this was an emergency and I needed her help. Well, that brought out her inner girl scout! She put on my crocs "I need my water shoes mommy" and snapped into action. She was at my side for the rest of the afternoon. (She was, actually, a great helper!) On my next trip to get beach towels, she opted to come with me. My favorite line, ever, is "Mommy, why is it raining inside?". Seriously, I was laughing out loud!In the midst of placing all the towels on top of the water, I was also frantically calling Al like a madwoman and tearing into his co-worker and close friend calmly trying to get a hold of Al to figure out what our next steps should be. I did think to turn off the power in the mudroom due to the flood of water in the light fixture. I literally had to dump water out of it. In the pictures above you can see the water marks on the ceiling.

You may be shocked to see that I actually have pictures of this wonderful event. Well, really, why wouldn't we want to take pictures of such fun events?! No, seriously, would it scare your or surprise you to know that while this was happening I was thinking about what a great blog entry it would make? Or, what a fantastic scrapbook spread I could do about this? Seriously, that's how my mind works.... When there's a crisis, what do I do, snap pictures! I don't know if I should ever be a girl scout leader. We'll be learning how to make first aid kits: "Band aides? check. Gauze? check. Camera? check. Extra memory card? check." Yeah, best not sign me up for that. (Not like I'd have time for that anyway!)

Well, that was my eventful day. And, don't say it, I know what you're thinking; you TOTALLY wish you had my life, right?

Agenda:

Agenda for this afternoon:

1) Assist bleeding crying 4 year old
2) Assure screaming 1 month old you will be right there
3) Assist crying 11 year old who is refusing to climb up the stairs
4) Get stung by bee
5) Realize crying baby has cried herself to sleep
6) Find a moment to put ice on sting
7) Hear baby crying again
8) Quickly retrieve 'mother of the year' application from mail. Do not send.
9) Vent to anonymous readers on blog