Happiness and Monday Morning Marathon Mayhem

Monday mornings around here are very often a Marathon. Or Mayhem. Either way, I strive to make all of it a prayer.  

 
The ideal me would rise at 5 am, spend oodles of time steeped in prayer, review the day ahead, get showered, put on makeup, fix a healthy warm clean nutritious breakfast for the family with candles lit as I cook. 

And there is reality.

My day usually starts with me dressing faster than a fireman.  Seriously. I have it down to a science – pants hanging and ready with my favorite flip flops to the right. It’s zip, flip and go. 

Monday morning is always our busiest day, with all our peeps needing help and going in many directions.  Isabel on the bus at 7:30, Agnes at her harp lessons, and chores to be done.  Helping child #1, our Jen. So much to get done.  I pray for the help of heaven to give me strength to do all with a smile. 

I’m so thankful for that glorious day long ago when Maggie introduced me to this “miracle in a can”, Clean Freak dry shampoo!  A quick toothbrush and a race to the fridge to prep Joe’s probiotic before he gets too silly is the first order of the day.  He has to sit and hold it in his mouth for a few minutes.  Then he watches his favorite. The Weather Channel scanning for Blizzards and warnings! This lets me move on to take care of Jen.  

As I get to her room, she is sitting in bed doing a very important thing. Putting on her sparkliest sparkle earrings (I used to try to change her taste) (Now it makes me smile).  There she is busily putting on earrings all by herself, sweetly perched with her GiGi U bag at the end of the bed.  That smile.  How could you NOT smile back.    

We shut down her C-PAP machine, give meds, open curtains and make the bed.  We are jogging a good pace side-by-side as we go.  Turning the bend and it’s time to get her into the tub.   Well, only, after the moments it takes to convince her that bringing her book bag near the tub might end the morning race!

 The pace needs to quicken, warm ups are done and there is so much pressure.  Making this sweet girl move a little quicker just isn’t a possibility.  If I push, her mood heads south and then our morning sprint will go in the other direction.  The finish line? Try to have her in the car by 8:30 am for her beloved GiGi U at GiGi’s Playhouse. Pressure on her, pressure on me.  I think of ways to make her laugh.  She doesn’t complain that I forgot for the ninth week in a row to buy girly shampoo; I wonder if the boys Axe shampoo will even be noticed!  You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to keep to your pace of a ten minute mile to get to the finish line!

 

 How did those plates get there?  Ignore for now, Momma.  Keep your pace. Keep your pace.

In no time at all, she is dressed, I-pod in hand, with her hair blow dried so sweet.  Oh wait, I forgot to make her lunch last night. What a fright!  Dang, my forgetfulness makes me want to fire myself sometimes! Sprint. Focus. You’ve got this, keep jogging, keep running…..the finish line is in sight. 

I yell to the next runner who joins in the race.  He clears the snow from the car, and gets it warmed up.  There is thankfulness for remembering to at least fill the tank!

Make salad, throw in carrot.  Lucky, one mandarin left! Half a Shaklee 180 Meal bar. That Shaklee bar makes me happy!  We are good, a bit late, there’s no helping that. She’s ready to go!  

Jen? Where are you?  

Back in her room looking for just the right sparkly bobby pin to wear:) 

Good job Jen!  Come on, get back in the race!  The cheering crowds clap her on. 
“I have to bathroom”.

It’s ok.  It’s ok. Coat off. Keep on cheering just a little bit more…. 

Oh goodness, we forgot, we forgot. Glad for the detour because we realize. We had run past the toothbrush in all of our haste! 

I try not to push but the Finish line looms, we are so far off pace, gloomy thoughts start to loom.  As the last end in the road finally appears.  The finish line is suddenly near.

We focus. We jog it. We rock it some more. With a hug and her bags she heads for the door.

I glance back at her room, now empty. 

Finish Line reached. 

For child #1 ❤️   

Amen.

Good thing for us Mommas our work can be prayer. So I try best I can to fill it with love and tender care.

“Every time you welcome one of these little ones, you welcome Me”