Everything I do on a daily, seems to reflect a number. Usually that number is correlated with the number of minutes I have left to rush my kids somewhere, or the # of times something crazy happens. I hope you enjoy some comic relief of this countdown, and maybe you can relate to some of my “mother load” of chaos.
10 - The # of minutes I have left to sit here silently before I have to wake the kids up to start the chaos. This chaos consists of rushing, begging them to hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, eat, eat faster, ugh just please finish your waffles blackmailed with chocolate syrup that’s secretly sprinkled with “Enof,” a veggie-claimed tasteless sprinkle for picky eaters and makes mom feel better about the chocolate syrup stuff! Next, I will be yelling upstairs for my oldest to brush her teeth, chasing my 2-year-old with the toothbrush while breastfeeding my baby trying to multitask, go, go, go, go, it’s time to go! Now, for the 2nd time, I’ll be telling my oldest to go brush her teeth because she already forgot. Finally, I’ll be sprinting out the door, tripping on something that isn’t supposed to be in the line of fire, buckling littles in their car seats and sprinting back in at least 3 more times to get something they, or I, forgot, like the much-needed toddler iPad for the 35-minute drive to school, and my phone for navigation, not for directions, but only to prepare my oldest for whether or not she will be tardy or not with the generally inaccurate ETA.
9 - The # of hours everyone else got to sleep last night.
8 - The # of hours I did NOT get to sleep last night, due to the same number of times the baby woke up to cluster-nurse.
7 - The # of days my husband is gone doing something he loves, with full freedom away from all responsibilities…elk hunting in the mountains.
Also, the same # of full-on breaks he has gotten in the past few months, including another out-of-state trip with the guys. Oh, and also the # of months I have NOT had a single overnight away, as well as the # of months I have NOT had one full night of sleep.
6 - The # of times my baby just bit my nipple with his fresh new fangs while trying to type this blog, and also the # of times he kicked my hands messing up my typing of this blog.
(Not kidding).
5 - The # of sippy cups I cleaned out of the truck.
I was simply looking for one to quickly rinse off and fill up for my toddlers water bottle at school, yet every single one was too sticky with old apple juice baked into the plastic in 100 degree weather for who knows how many days, that I had to scrub clean making us nearly late.
4 - The # of extremely SLOW vehicles in front of us the ENTIRE way, casually driving under the speed limit, as I am trying to bite my tongue. Also the # of times I had to ask God for forgiveness for when I couldn’t bite my tongue.
3 - The # of minutes that navigation told me would be my daughters’ ETA, making her early enough to briskly walk into school, with a quick “goodbye, love you” farewell wave.
2 - The # of minutes that was the ACTUAL ETA, making her late enough to basically push her out while the truck is still in motion telling her to “RUUUUUN!” (Obviously that is an exaggeration, but don’t think I didn’t sit there in my truck sweating, watching the clock to make sure her body was inside the double doors by exactly 8am).
1 - The # of nap time stuffed toy “pillars”my toddler insists on sleeping with that I forgot in his crib at home, 35 minutes away.
Also, the # of times I did NOT go back to get it, although contemplating it at least a handful times, until the baby started screaming, ready to get out of his car seat.
0 - The # of times I would change my life.
In a world full of chaos, there is no way I would want any other chaos than the beautiful chaos I have right here in front of me. I have to keep reminding myself that I don’t have to worry about tomorrow or next week.
I only have to focus on the next 24 hours.
So for the next 24 hours, I only have to drive 35 minutes back home, get ready for my baby’s physical therapy session, hop back in the truck, rush 35 minutes to pick my oldest up at school, drive a few miles to pick up my toddler from preschool, over to the nearest restaurant to quickly feed hangry children, over to the church to drop off my oldest at youth group, drive 35 minutes back home with 2 cranky babies, quickly bathe them and get them into pajamas, load them back up in the truck, drive 35 minutes back home, feed them because now they’re hangry again, put them all to bed, finally put my feet up in the recliner to then realize I have to get up and get everything ready for the next day, like wash soccer clothes and pack lunches so we aren’t running late. Thanks to my husband who is elk hunting in the mountains, I get to climb tomorrow’s mountain all by myself! Yaaaaaayyyyy!! <insert sarcastic excited expression…..very, very sarcastic> Actually, I won’t have to climb it alone, because God is right there with me…..I just need to lean on Him more in my chaos.
Praying for all of you mamas in your “mother load” of chaos.
Let’s keep reminding each other to take it 24 hours at a time! 💪❤️
