Crazy Moms and Routine

I have been a creature of routine for as long as I can remember. Diverging from that routine sends me into a rather quick tail spin and those that suffer most unfortunately are those around me the most, my hubby and kids. It's not like I don't know this is how I function but yet allowing some flexibility isn't a strong suit of mine. My kids have only been in school for 10 day, hear that 10 days this year so far; and it took almost everything I had to get through last summer. Don't get me wrong, I love my children, but they too like routine and when they don't have it they pick fights, lots of fights and they go from room to room in our home creating minor mess after minor mess that due to my compulsive cleaning only I can seem to clean properly enough.

I was beginning to feel really guilty until I went to church last Sunday and was able to commiserate with two other moms who had battled evacuation and hurrication as single parents like me. One asked me, did they fight along the way? Mine were fighting so much that at one point I heard skin to skin contact and several loud thuds, she said. Thank God, I thought to myself, I was not alone in that journey. She said, I had to pull the car over at one point and just scream. Again, thank God, I was not alone in that journey either. Except I pulled over twice, so rapidly and so quickly that everything that was piled in two seats, just slumped to the floor. I was thankful that my rather new tires held up well during the rapid halt of movement. As I was pulling over quickly and screaming at the top of my lungs, I caught a glimpse of myself in the rear mirror and just about died. Really, really is that an image I want ingrained in my children's minds? I think not, but I had to quickly ask, "Do you like seeing me like this?" No, was their immediate response but that begged the question, "then why do you keep acting like this, when I'm driving in this car alone for several hours on a busy two lane highway?" "We don't know", was said in unison.

It will never cease to amaze me how much 4 children can argue and pick at each other. Wouldn't life be so much simpler if EVERYONE JUST CHOSE TO BE NICE AND GET ALONG?! This is my daily prayer now, that my children will learn to extend grace and compassion towards each other. We're using those words a lot now. Please God let them sink in!

When I was in Rockwall, we went to a mega church up the road from my parents house. It's a fabulous church, love the music but I could not worship there regularly. It's just too large for me. But the service that day was so great! The pastor was teaching on prayer and how families today just don't pray together enough, so he challenged everyone in the congregation to be families that would commit to a 7-5-2 calendar. Praying for your family 7 days a week, praying with your family 5 days a week and praying with your spouse 2 days a week.

We took the challenge! Can't say that our calendar is a total 7-5-2 yet but we're attempting to get there and look forward to seeing what will happen when we do. I'm hoping that my title "Crazy Mom" will begin to dissipate a little bit and I will be able to see characteristic changes in my children that make our home more harmonious. Miracles do happen right? Absolutely!