"Don't poke me in the eye with the water!"

Some days are clearly gonna be hands on from the very start. As a lazy person I prefer as little of that as possible but, with little kids that's just a pipe dream. For instance, it took me 30 minutes to write the last two lines because I had to get up every 10 seconds and chase a screaming and laughing Perrin through the house. I now have a sore throat and I think I can skip my workout for today.

Hands on doesn't just mean physical work but some mental function, as well. I have to be able to go from one kid to another without even moving to prevent house fires or fist fights. An example: "Rowan, stop jumping on the couch - Lydia, kick him again and you're done for the day, Raina - grab your brother before he dives past me into the oven, Perrin - STOP SCREAMING, Rowan - stop jumping on the damn couch!..." This all while trying to do the dishes, make a bottle, fit in a bathroom break, change a diaper - or three, and possibly make dinner.

Yesterday was no exception. In fact, it was one of the crazier ones. The morning was spent out getting groceries. Usually I plan grocery shopping as the only event of a day because it leaves me with absolutely NO sense of humor. In the afternoon, I gave some kids baths and one a haircut. Both are One Event Day events. Baths always end in screaming and water everywhere. Lydia was upset when I washed her hair because I poked her eyes with the water. I was sternly warned to never do that again. I promised I wouldn't. The rest was chaos, of course and by bed time I think the kids were relieved because they got to get away from me. They all stayed in bed.

Today will be no exception but I do have one advantage: I don't have to go grocery shopping or give baths.

God is good

I've found myself facing some major personal changes in the last year. Things that I've held onto very tightly for as long as I can remember. I've spent many hours trying to decide if I can actually do these things and if it's worth the struggle that it will be most likely for the rest of my life. Deep down, I've known that its worth it. I have a family that I love, I have many friends that make me laugh and also encourage me to be the best me, and most importantly, I believe in a God who is good. That's enough for me on a big scale, but some days it's easy to forget those things and only see myself. Now, that is a damn shame. I know it because myself without  God, family, and good friends is lacking. You'd think that would be enough to make the right choice each day, but it's just not. Sometimes I just don't care if I'm selfish.

So, I decided that I would wake early every morning, no matter how many times I got up in the night, and pray. Such a simple thing, but not so easy to do. It means dying a little bit to myself and seeking someone other than myself. It also means that I have to put myself and my wants aside and seek the Lord who will most definatly ask me to put aside those very things that I just don't want to let go. Today, I read about Paul. I read that he considered his life dear only so that he could fulfill the ministry he had received from God. I found that so impressive. A true dying to himself for God. Paul knew that he was not his own but that he belonged to Jesus Christ and that was all that mattered to him. It was all he needed to know to lay down himself and give up the things that separated him from God. In 1Corinthans 6:19 it says that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and therefore is not our own. We have been purchased at a price, and therefore we should glorify God with our bodies. That makes sense to me.

I decided to write about this today because I'm learning that these things that I don't want to give up are not worth trading for the love and grace of God. That is all I need, everything else will come together because God is good.