What a Week... It's only Wednesday

This has been. a week. And it's only Wednesday. Not a bad week, just days that you feel like you're running through thick molasses. Lots of effort, snail-paced progress.

I love church. I hate the germs. Though my children rarely get sick and we try our best to make sure they eat well, sleep well, take their vitamins, etc., one of them occasionally picks up a bug of some sort that inevitably spreads to the rest of us. And having a toddler who knows only one way to express their displeasure or discomfort is NOT FUN. He's refusing to sleep in his crib and wakes up early fussing when he discovers that we transferred him during the night.

Though we're down, we are certainly not out for the count as far as homeschooling. I picked up some books from the library and have had the children reading a lot while resting. and coughing. They've managed to tackle some creative writing and are total troopers about doing whatever I ask them to do. And they manage to keep the giggles coming, even with stuffy noses and ouchy throats.

The foggy area in the general vicinity of my brain clears on occasion to get some real work done - I've managed to make a detailed schedule for each of us to post on the walls and am working on weekly menus to streamline grocery shopping. We've also gone back to using cloth diapers while we're home, a huge money savings. When the fog rolls back in, I catch up on reading blogs, playing online Hanafuda (a Japanese card game), flipping through design magazines, and jotting down notes for our church's upcoming tea party. I'm on the design committee and am working to come up with something fabulous as if I was auditioning for "Design Star." Which is what my husband keeps saying. I say I have VISION. And so maybe I am channeling a little Candice Olson from Divine Design, my favorite designer ever from HGTV. I digress...

In the midst of all of the above, I have had moments of pure contentment. Moments that I stopped and whispered a "thank You" to God. Things are still as uncertain as ever. But He's providing for us. I am thankful for our little family, snuggled together through this season, riding the highs and lows, laughing at the goofy moments that happen unexpectedly. Dancing together at determined parties to celebrate the expectation that God will open the right door for us to get settled. What's true about a challenging season is that new adventures and opportunities abound: How will we respond? What will we do in the waiting time? What can we do?

One major new adventure for me: Butterfly and I are going camping with her Missionettes group (kind of like the Girl Scouts.) Friday to Sunday. In a tent. Hiking. Campfire. I am both excited and concerned...don't like bugs and rustic bathrooms (how did I survive being a missionary to Africa - I know!) But mostly I am excited - time away with my beautiful Butterfly experiencing something new, curled up together in our tent and taking on the wilderness together - ha! I may come back a changed woman! More on this later...