Our Long Week

I believe there is a quote somewhere that goes along the lines of "Man plans...God laughs." So goes this past week.

After finally adjusting to life as a mom who does not get enough sleep and is totally outnumbered by three children, I had plans this week of tackling my to-do list. Errands to run, thank-you notes to finish writing and mail, gift cards to spend, closets to clean, clothes to organize...the list went on and on.

Nick had a decent to-do list as well. Actually, as an English teacher who coaches, runs the yearbook and school newspaper and tutors, he always has an ongoing to-do list. Add on the weekend retreat he is in charge of in the winter, and you can imagine how much he is juggling at one time.

Here is the part where God laughs...

Monday, Nick and the kids got in his car to leave for school and work, while Noah and I got in the van to make an appointment on time. As Nick backed the car into the street, it decided to stay in reverse. For some reason, the car would not shift into any other gear. He finally shifted it enough so that we could push it back into the driveway (which the kids found really cool), we all piled into the van and I raced to get them to school on time, while attempting to not be too late for my own appointment.

Tuesday arrived and God kept on laughing. I woke up with a high fever and many aches and pains. Nick stayed home from work to help me take care of Noah and eventually the rest of the kids as they gradually came home from school. I basically fed Noah every three hours and slept the rest of the day.

Wednesday was a lot like Tuesday.

Finally, a little relief on Thursday with my temperature at a less scary number and the pain not so bad. Nick returned to work and I attempted to clean up the house. It is simply amazing how out of control this place gets when I am out of commission for two lousy days.

Friday brought a little more comfort and the house was slightly better. I could almost see the kitchen counter after going through one of the many stacks of "stuff." (Funny how none of the "stuff" was mine.) Nick finally got back to figuring out what was wrong with the car (yes, still with one vehicle this entire week) and was able to make a dent in his to-do list.

And here we are on Saturday. I was ready to wake-up and really get everything put away once and for all. After all, how bad could our little house get?

Pretty bad.

The problem has been that whenever I go to put something away, I realize the area where each item belongs is such a mess that I have to start with cleaning the area first. It is a never-ending battle.

I believe my favorite part of the entire week was hearing Nick say, "I have no idea how you do it, Tammy. How do you get anything done with these kids around?"

Thank you, beloved husband. Thank you. That is all I need to hear from time to time to feel like what I do has some value. I may not make money doing this and everything I do each day is undone by the next day. The results of my hardwork are not easily seen. But, to hear my husband say "How do you do it?" brings a little bit of worth to my labors.

And yes, I know God is not really laughing at my sickness or our broken car (still getting fixed, by the way), but I should really learn that my plans will never work out exactly how I think they should. And that's okay. If not for my two days off, I might not have heard Nick's expression of appreciation.

Husbands, take note and go thank your wives right now. It will make their week.