Welcome to Camp Funk

the worst 4 days of motherhood

I know we've all had them....
Awhile back Dave was gone for 4 days and things got real here folks.
It started the first day and kept on up for the whole 4 days he was gone.
Some of my little stars were acting up at my parents house for dinner that night.  We left abruptly to deal with some of the issues and decided to go to bed that night halfheartedly crabby about everything.  
Sleeping with 4 people in a queen bed is not the funnest either.
Saturday brought excitement for Jeremiah's first basketball tournament in Brillion.  

We were gone almost 6 hours total with driving and it was wonderfully fun besides chipping 3 teeth.

I saw glimpses of God in little things that day.
Jeremiah and i prayed before each game and set a goal and he killed every goal.
Afterward he says... I know God doesn't care about basketball but he is so good mom.
He meets you right where you need him.

Came home to fried chicken
special treat for basketball players and babysitters(the big boys)
the bigs had their hands full with the 2 littles that seem to argue, fight, not share and just about wrangle each other's necks for toys in this house.

Settled in for another night of 4 people in a queen bed.
I moved to the couch after I had 2 sleepwalkers all night.
I let them make this crazy fort before church Sunday morning which kept the arguing at bay. 

Church on Sunday was awesome.
Brought a single young friend with us, that's dealing with some of his bad choices.

When we heard the new sermon series was about marriage, Odin and I were praying together that this sermon would reach him.  
Done..it couldn't of been more perfectly orchestrated.

God is completely amazing


Came home to fun football games and 2 crazy little stars non stop fighting.  
Olivia and I were doing devotionals in her room when we decided to check on Abraham.
This little star decided to Sharpie Odin's bedspread all over.  Needless to say we had to put it aside for camping or something else.  I was never able to capture some of the crazies on camera.  It all happened so fast.

Not to long after that Gabriel decides to walk across the carpet drinking red fruit punch and spilled the whole glass on the carpet.  

Next up Abraham decided to be creative again and take the black sharpie all over Jeremiah's closets, mattress, floor and white window seat.  This time he went with squiggles and circles instead of straight lines like on Odin's bedspread.  
Love the creative flair going on in his head.
 The 2 bigs helped me clean that mess up.

The big 3 are like my wing men and women when Dave is gone.  
I have no idea what I'd do with out them. 
We're a great team.

Monday...the day Dave came home.
Olivia came down to get me during the night because somehow Miah puked from the top bunk all over her and Gabe on the bottom bunk.  
We're talking serious projectile here.
We have never had the flu or pukers in this house. 
Moved him to the bottom bunk with some new blankets and started a load of laundry at 1 am.
Jeremiah pukes again in that bed, our bed and on the floor for a total of 4 times all before 6 am.
We had 11 loads of laundry which was mostly all bedding.  
  

 

He must of got a bug from the basketball tournament i'm thinking.  It was short lived and no one else got it.  Praise the Lord!

The only thing was that Monday was his birthday.  Not a fun way to celebrate. 

Throughout those 4 days I ran every morning like always and prayed and cried out to Jesus asking for  lots of grace, forgiveness and just maybe a tad lighter load or something.

He provided that and more through my bigs.
They never really complained but picked up the slack, consoled me in the kitchen with tears in my eyes and offered me a break or something to lighten the load.
They saw my frustration and heart ache.
Mothering is a journey.
We never truly arrive.
As our children grow, their needs change.  problems come and go but they will always be our kids.  
I don't want to wish away today thinking tomorrow will be easier .  I want to live today the best i can and learn from it.
Mothering is more about me growing up than my children. 
Just keep going and give yourself grace.