NOT!

Goal for today: Clean entire house. Well.

What I did today:

1. took kids to school

2. went to get Madalyn shoes for her Christmas dress- store closed

3. went to Walmart next door to wait till shoe store opened

4. went to shoe store and found shoes

5. went home: started laundry, fed Jack, placed new print orders, responded to business emails (and a few personal emails)

6. went by Stephanie's to check out her new shelves

7. picked up kids from school

8. gave kids Popsicles

9. put kids down for quiet times

10. filled out birth certificate forms that have needed to be sent out for some time- school has requested

11. ate snack- Little Debbie Christmas cakes and milk, nice and healthy and energizing...

12. put away things I got shopping

13. switched loads of laundry

14. took shower

15. answered doorbell

16. got kids up

17. decided front mulch bed could not go another day without weeding and that the house would not be entirely cleaned at this point anyway...

So, currently:

Jack is having a leisurely shower while I type this. Having helped me profusely with weeding the front mulch bed in the yard, he deserves it. It was so nice to have his company while I made myself a human till; vigorously flinging dirt and weeds through the air. He flung dirt next to me in the same driven, focused manner as though this were something he understood, and every now and then spouting out a sentence with guttural force... or a short paragraph. I have no idea what he said to me out there, but he sure knew what he was saying.

The older kids are currently across the street at Savanna's house. Her grandmother, who she calls Coo-ka (not sure how they spell it but that's how they say it,) is fluent in Spanish- it's her native tongue- and she's started this WONDERFUL habit of giving the kids Spanish lessons on Tuesdays when she watches Savanna. A few minutes ago, (shortly after they ran right in the neighbor's front door against my orders,) I walked over after them to find each of the three in a lawn chair, listening to Coo-ka. Man, she is good! She just takes charge and leads them seamlessly through her mental lesson plan; has their full and undivided attention. I LOVE that woman.

First, I love her because she is always smiling and sweet despite the fact that she's a neat freak and I'm a slob, (and am forever presenting my foyer to her in obnoxious slob fashion.) Secondly, I love her because she took my kids off my hands for a few hours. Thirdly, I love her because she is teaching Evan Spanish, and Evan loves Spanish... and she teaches him IN Spanish the entire time. And fourthly (is that a word?) I love how she says Savanna.

We say, "Suh-vay-nuh." She says, "SAH-VAH-NAH," each syllable with equal force and importance, and makes it a whole different name altogether... makes the child sound like Spanish royalty. I LOVE it. I want my name to be Savanna when she says it like that!

I also love how God does special, personal things for us like this, like bringing Coo-ka into Evan's world. I was just thinking how much he would love Spanish lessons when she whirled into his universe. She has already taken home a picture he drew of himself with Savanna and Madalyn because she wants to frame it. She just might be his first crush.

Hmm... it's now dawned on me that Jack is no longer having a leisurely shower, but now standing behind me, dripping wet, and tearing into a bag of wipes like a monkey on a cupcake. Excuse me a minute while I take care of that...

Ok, I'm back. I think I hear kids outside the front door now... excuse me again...

Ok, three are in the shower now.

So, where was I? Well, I guess the whole reason I got on here was to record some recent conversations I've had with Evan, and rather than carry on in the above multi-personality-disordered fashion, I'll now cut to the chase:

Yesterday before dinner:

Evan: Mommy, I'm going to try to stop sinning. I'm never going to sin again.

Me, unaware that he even knew sin could work as a verb: Evan, why do you want to stop sinning so badly?

Evan: Because when I sin, you get mad at me.

Me, feeling smaller and lower than a flea: Evan, if you were absolutely perfect and never did a thing wrong ever again that wouldn't make me love you anymore than I already love you now. I already love you soooo much and I couldn't love you any more than I already do. (And I launched in to a panicked mini-sermon about the only reason he should want to act better- to give back to God, but that God already loves him immensely....) It is frustrating to mommy sometimes when you disobey, (I continued,) and sometimes I get impatient and lose my temper- and I have really been that way lately, I'm sorry. Do you forgive me?

Evan: Yes.

Me, repeating the very pattern I am correcting in him: I am going to try to stop sinning and getting impatient with you, too, but I will mess up because I'm a sinner- it's what I do-

Evan: Yeah, ever since Adam and Eve.

Me: Yes. But do you understand- I will try to be more patient with you, okay? I'm so sorry. I will try to be calm and talk more calmly. Do you understand?

Evan: Yeah. Like Mrs. Stephanie?

AS Shaun said- OUCH.

I'll write another post soon about the ways that conversation has scarred influenced me...

Yesterday after dinner:

Me: Because you guys disobeyed me, you are not going to get books before bed.

Evan: I said I was sorry- puh-leeeeeze give me another chance?

Me: No, Evan.

Evan: Puh- leeeeeze?

Me: No.

Evan: Mommy, pleeeze- I won't ever do it again!

Me: I made my decision, Evan.

Evan: I know. I'm trying to get rid of your decision.

Today on the way home from school:

Me: We still have Christmas shopping to do. Maybe daddy can take you guys out for special nights, each of you, and Evan can get a gift for Madalyn and Madalyn can get a gift for Evan...

Evan: What do you think God wants for Christmas? What can I give Him?

Me: You know what God likes from us? He likes us to love each other. That's the gift He loves the most; that we first love Him, and then that we love each other and show each other how much He loves them by being love to them.

Evan: I love God SO much. I love Him SOOO much, mommy.

Me: Me, too, Evan. Me too.

Goal for today: Clean the entire house. Well.

What I did today: Wrote a blog. And not so well.

Goal for tomorrow: Clean the entire house.