Too busy & its my fault!

I let myself take on way too much in September and I'm still paying the price.  I'm exhausted, fighting off a cold, and in desperate need of a break, with no break in sight.  I am working through an ambitious work schedule that would have work's work caught up by Friday.  If I can get some sleep, some quiet time, and keep focused, then I'll make it with the help of God & his marvelous creation...coffee.  It is almost the light at the end of the tunnel.

What I like about my work is I generally control my work schedule and the pace at which I work.  I typically have room for all the "surprises" that 10 children can bring, BUT let me get overbooked and over committed and yes, even their needs intensify to help me learn my lesson AGAIN.  When I let the flood gates open a little extra in August, well, to be blunt, I was stupid!  The thoughts of making up for currently delinquent accounts and the potential extra earnings and...I got greedy.  Plain & simple...the thought of curing stress through extra earnings completely backfired.

Mark in Daddy's shoes and
reminding me that he's
watching our choices: 
hug on babies OR work

In the past 4 weeks, Jon broke his arm at school and needed care in St. Louis.  The local ER doctor hot lined the situation as he was sure someone at school had been too rough with Jon.  I had no doubt that it was an accident because everyone at school is so careful with Jon, and I figured it might have happened on the bus since that would be the easiest place for an accident.  It turned out to that his arm was likely broken during a routine transfer from his chair.  It could have happened anywhere.  HOWEVER, the hotline call resulted in our first Family Services visit at our home.  I was a nervous wreck.  I wasn't even sure what to tell the kids.  David would have behaviors for months if he thought someone or something could separate him from us.  (This is the kid who I had to promise him that he never had to move out when he got bigger.  The thought of being away from us for very long causes him a lot of stress.)  So I told the kids a lady was bringing by a police officer to meet us and she might have some questions about our family like the newspaper and TV people did.  Then the middle group (David, Vanessa & Corrine) wanted to know if there would be pictures, and I assured them that there probably would not be pictures.  Matt was already for the police officer and even had his police cars out, and no one except me was stressed.  It frankly could not have gone better.

Then no more than that was done and everyone except three got sick with bad colds.  My mom came down and spent the day so I could spend Saturday at Urgent Care getting the crew seen.

Then last week, I'm taking Jon & Nate to Springfield to the brace shop and while driving got a call that Vanessa arrived at school with a lump on her leg and it might be broke.  I knew immediately it was from her goofing around in the travel stroller and not buckling in because Corrine had already told me that Vanessa had fallen out of her chair while playing tag.  However, there wasn't a mark and Vanessa didn't even cry so I thought she was fine.  Angela picked her up from school.  We got an x-ray and the next day we got the results that it was just a bruise.  I was SO thankful! 

I'm looking forward to a better week next week.  With home school grading, coupon clipping, more hugs, more playtime and some work, "things" should just be "things" again and the children will be the clear center of my focus again.

And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD;

and great shall be the peace of thy children.~~Isaiah 54:13