laughter

this week was a loooong one, to put it mildly. there just seemed to be LOTS going on. i was at my wits end one night and was really close to losing it when something very special happened. let me explain.

there’s tons going on at the apartments we manage (huge carpet install—i’ll post pictures when it’s completely done for those of you who wish you were still here!, remodeling, painting, renting units, etc., etc.) and just because it’s the way things work, i end up dealing with most of it while jacob is at work. so it had been a day of dealing with all of this on top of my own home and family responsibilities. i was ready to just jump in bed and hide under the covers for the rest of the night by the time jacob came home. not so fortunate! i forgot it was wednesday. i fixed a quick dinner that he had to gobble down before going to his weekly young men’s activity. that left me to deal with the three kiddos on my own. no big deal, right? i do this all the time. well, within a matter of about three minutes, chaos ensued.

· just as we said “amen”, one of the maintenance workers came to the door to complain that the wrong kind of flooring was delivered. “it doesn’t match what i’ve already started the floor with. i hate to say it but I TOLD YOU SO!!! call and get the right stuff NOW so i can continue my work!”

· while i was at the door dealing with the irate maintenance guy, two cups of sticky apple juice managed to spill themselves. abe had to switch to a different chair because his was all wet.

· in my now very flustered state of mind, i accidentally put jam instead of honey on abe’s toast. “it’s wrong! it’s wrong! it’s wrong! i need honey! i need honey! i need honey! change it! change it! change it!” i’m still not sure why he thought repeating everything in three’s was necessary. i just hope he wasn’t imitating one of my newest strategies adopted from dora the explorer (short, simple, clear phrases repeated two or three times [”socks, shoes, backpack, door... socks, shoes, backpack, door”]... a great strategy, except when it’s used against you!)

· ziya had tried her hardest to be patient during all this madness, but she’d had it. she started to scream. i tried to focus my attention back on her and continue feeding her cereal but she couldn't calm down enough to eat more.

· let us not forget about ammon. this whole time ammon was playing what i call “the monkey eating his dinner” game. he takes a bite, sprawls on his chair, touches the floor, comes up for another bite, scratches under his arm (just kidding), lays on the floor under the table, etc. but at least he was eating his dinner!

· the phone rang... i should know better than to answer while we’re eating! while i was trying to take care of yet more apartment business (i swear, people spy on me and save their phone calls for meal times!) abe was nagging about something. i ignored him and then scolded him for talking to me while i was on the phone. so he peed on his chair. here’s the conversation that followed:

ABE: it’s your fault mami. i told you i had to go.

ME: sorry i didn’t listen, abe, but you can go by yourself.

ABE: no i can’t.

ME: yes you can.

ABE: no i can’t.

ME: yes you can. (this probably went on a few more rounds, but don’t judge me! i was already weakened by the entire day’s events)

even though i was annoyed, i thought the immediate solution would be simple: just switch chairs! meltdown number whatever happened next because the only other available chair was already wet with juice. with more juice on the table at this point, i wasn’t about to get out any of the “nice” chairs (ha, ha!).

· now ammon had bumped his head with a table leg and ziya was in a high frenzy because the cereal had stopped coming… not to mention the fact that i’d only managed to sneak about two bites of my own dinner.

this was the point where i was ready to lose it and just start yelling at everybody. my head was literally throbbing and one of my eyes was actually twitching! but earlier that morning i did manage to pray for patience. He who knows the very details of my life sent an answer. laughter. i started to laugh almost uncontrollably. my kids were confused at first, but as soon as they realized that this was for real, they started laughing with me (even ziya!). tears and all, we were all doubled over in pure, wholesome laughter. it felt sooo good.

my days are hard. and with growing kids and busier schedules, i'm sure they'll only get harder. i'm just thankful for a Father in Heaven who found a fun way to help me get through this one.