A day in review...

Yesterday morning as Noah went off to golf camp with a friend, and I walked back into my kitchen, I immediately knew what I wanted to accomplish. Top of my list: Clean my kitchen. Deep clean. I wanted to make sure everything had a place, and everything was in its place versus the "counter shuffle". You know what I am talking about, right? When you find yourself shuffling one pile from this counter to that counter but never accomplishing the act of putting it completely away in its proper place, much less cleaning the counter under it. Second on the list: Finish putting away the numerous piles of odds and ends that have been unearthed as I have been trying to unpack from pre-packing our house when we tried to sell it a little while ago.

The morning was progressing nicely. The kids played with the dogs for a long while and then were sleeping happily in their crates. The dogs, not the children. :) The children had moved upstairs and were playing peacefully. I couldn't believe the tranquility, it was almost too good to be true but I was enjoying it so much that I decided to stay ignorant and just plod along with my to do list. The morning's chores were coming along wonderfully; laundry was going, the dishwasher was unloaded and loaded, the hand wash stuff was done, half of the counters in the kitchen were cleared and cleaned. I started working on the other side of the kitchen when it happened.

I didn't hear any loud or crashing sound, but I was suddenly notified of a lamp that broke. It broke in a weird way, in that the base broke and was now being kept from crashing to the ground by Hannah standing in an odd position while calling for me to come. Heading up stairs I was welcomed by Micah and Caleb (the two children playing with the lamp) pleading their innocence. I surveyed the damage, called out to Grace and Faith what materials I would need for clean up, and began to clean up the upstairs family room.

In the process of cleaning, I had to move the couch out of the way. After I was done with the cleaning, I decided I liked it where it was and moved the recliner to where the couch, and lamp, used to be. I was getting ready to go downstairs when I happened to peek into the extra room upstairs. Why I didn't just head right back down into the kitchen, I will never know... but I didn't. I called the twins to come help me clean up the toys that weren't supposed to be in there. I had Hannah help me move the mini-ottomans into the upstairs family room, and then I put some stuff away in the closet, and looked around.

Ever since Elliott stopped being able to telecommute and we combined offices downstairs, the "extra" room has lacked a purpose. While our house was on the market it had a fake purpose, but since the girls were all reunited into the bedroom they share, all that has been in there is a huge book shelf and a black leather couch. The older kids' guitars were sitting on the couch when I got the idea. I decided to make that room the "music room". I moved the digital piano upstairs, and now children can practice in private, as well as have uninterrupted lessons. I can't wait to see what our piano and guitar teachers think!

At this point, I likely should have just gone back to the kitchen, but I had to make a pit stop... suddenly, the reason for the quiet and tranquility of the morning became apparent... Micah had been in the bathroom. Alone. For some time. Toothpaste. Water cups. Baby soap. Sigh. So, I rolled up my sleeves, and cleaned the bathroom, the whole bathroom, and nothing but the bathroom. Every little nook and cranny. It needed it. It is a happy room to go into now.

I came out of the bathroom and stood contented at all that had unexpectedly been accomplished. I likely even let out an audible sigh of relief at it all. Then I had the brilliant idea to go vacuum the kids rooms while I was upstairs with the vacuum cleaner. I find it comical how sometimes, after a wonderful feeling of accomplishment, I can just as suddenly feel overwhelmed to despairing. However, God's grace was present as I was able to walk the children through the problems in their rooms with a much calmer and loving way than I have typically been able to muster. Rooms vacuumed, everything put away. It was lovely to be upstairs.

By now, Noah had returned from golf camp, and everyone was hungry. So, I threw together some lunch, kept working on laundry, plodded along on chores and normal life resumed... no more to-do list checked off. I chuckled to myself how my day felt very much like "If You Give A Mouse a Cookie..." but I cherished the fact that every time I would start to become annoyed I would think about how my response would show my children what I thought about God. I am continually telling the children that God is Sovereign, their grandpa has brain cancer, their friend's little brother is sick, they know of other friends who are hurt, and we assure them that in each of those situations God is working for the person's good and for God's glory.

But what and I teaching my children about God's Sovereignty when my day doesn't go as planned and nothing goes "my way"? Sometimes is seems that it is easier to rest in God's will for my life when the "big things" happen while somehow thinking that during the mundane parts of life, God is not as concerned. However, the opposite seems true when I look back on what God has used to shape me, to change me, and conform me into the image of Christ through my decade of being a believer. I must admit that He has chosen to chisel and form and polish me through testing and trying me in the dailyness of life. Spilt coffee, broken lamps, played in toilets, dirty counters...

If you give a momma a distraction... she'll have time to ponder the wonders of the Lord...