Ramblings from a summer weary Mom

Summer quite frankly is kicking my butt. We have had driver's ed at 7:00, swimming lessons at 9:00, occasional piano, gymnastics, trips to the pool, many rides to many friends, trips to the park, baseball practice, LAX practice, and somewhere in there three meals a day. I am a big fan of regular schedules and getting up early, but that is just not working for me this summer.

There was a time when I controlled the schedule. I decided what we were doing, when, and where. Then school started. After that my schedule went out the window. I have been trying to work out some kind of regular system since the end of May, but to no avail. "Wingin' it" with a family of ten is not as easy as it sounds. So, here I am. Eight kids covering many age ranges, one driver, cook, laundress, organizer, maid, secretary, and camp counselor. We are understaffed. One very kind teacher was lamenting that there are only 7, now 6, weeks of summer left. Praise God, I say.

If I can learn how to go with the flow for the next six weeks, all will be well. I think the kids are having fun for the most part. They don't mind staying up late and going to swimming lessons straight from their jammies. We have eaten more than our fair share of cold cereal and bagels. I just need to chill and realize that this too shall pass. My house is going to look lived in, because it is. My meals are going to be very simple, because that is all I have time for between the pool and baseball.

The big challenge is teaching the kids to wait patiently on their mom. With everyone having needs, and one head need meeter, the line gets long sometimes. I know that God is teaching me this lesson as I teach them. I need to remember that there are people in line before me, and I need to wait patiently for my turn. I learned a lot while we waited for Nes, and the waiting produced many blessings. If only my kids believed me. Truly standing in line jumping up and down yelling "Mom!" does not speed up the process. "But those who wait on the Lord, shall renew their strength." Isa 40:31

I wish I had some great solution that made summer that relaxing time between school years that everyone dreams about. It is relaxing in many ways, and I think the kids really benefit from shifting from mental work to physical work. We have not had any emergency room visits, and I do get to see a lot more people when everyone is out and about. I know that I will miss this chaos when we are back in the school routine. For now, we are off to the pool.