De-weekending

Have you ever noticed that if you take one day off from normal daily maintenance stuff (laundry, clutter control, dishes, etc) the next morning you wake up to what appears to be some kind of terrible disaster? I usually do pretty good at keeping up with day to day tasks, but it is so constant and every now and then I try to give myself a bit of a break. Yesterday I was lazy. I hadn't slept well Saturday night and still wasn't feeling 100% healthy. For those reasons the boys and I stayed home from church and just chilled out together. I knew I needed rest to get my strength and complete health back. So I did nothing. Oh, I changed diapers, fed hungry little ones, that kind of stuff, but compared to how my days normally go, I did virtually nothing. I paid for that today. I am almost done with what we around here call "de-weekending". Once I get started it doesn't take very long, but wow, getting started can take some real work. Also it seems that whenever I start a cleaning project I get interrupted by little ones wanting my attention or I get reminded of things that are very important, which pertain to those little ones. Take Jay to the potty (YES! We are getting some where with this! I may not have 3 in diapers forever!), get some more liquid down K, try to get some more calories into K, help K with his oral motor exercises. These are the things that slow my progress. They slow my progress on things that ultimately don't matter and force me to spend my time investing in lives that do. I hope always to remember which of these things really matter. Most days I get frustrated by not having gotten done what I think I should have. It's a hard balance. Trying to have things neat, tidy, and clean, and yet spending quality time with my kids is a juggling act I haven't learned yet. The first load of laundry is folded, the dishwasher is running, the kids have had lunch, Jay is down for his nap. We are making progress! I will leave in an hour to "go to work" (as my boys say). I spend about 3 1/2 hours volunteering at a Crisis Pregnancy Center (CPC) each Monday afternoon/evening. I started about 7 months ago. I began by answering phones, sorting baby clothes etc. Now I am counseling women and doing parenting classes. This is an amazing ministry! My life has been enhanced greatly by the few hours each week that I am able to work at the CPC. I hope you are all having a wonderful Monday and that your de-weekending does not overwhelm you. Just remeber, little by little, room by room, and slow down to notice those precious little people who really don't care if the rug isn't vacuumed yet.