I Timothy 2:15 "Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control."
Whenever I speak or write to homeschooling mothers with preschoolers, I try my darndest to communicate that I in no way have my act totally together. I'll elaborate on that some other time.
One of my greatest struggles is pregnancy, which is rather ironic when you consider I'm now in my seventh. The Lord has seen fit to give me the first four months of overwhelming morning sickness, losing everything and all (trying not to be too graphic). He also created me with no waist- really- and so I cannot breathe well during the last trimester, particularly if I am sitting or lying down (which is, um, like, 90% of the day). And then the last two were born at home, which means there is no convenient epidural at my disposal.
Knowing I have about a week left before the sickness takes over, I decided to tackle some less-organized areas in our home this week:
First of all, the laundry system needed an overhaul. Spurred on by this amazing mother of twelve, I've decided to give the boys their own laundry day each to do their own laundry. The almost-13 and almost-11-year-olds have been doing two loads of family laundry every day for awhile now, but I'm thinking that if I don't have to actually think about their laundry, I'll be a lot happier. They can sort it, wash it, dry it, fold it, and put it away. And they won't have a reason to complain when my jammie pants end up in their drawers (another story entirely).
Secondly, I just cannot deal with clutter. Period. It completely overwhelms and stresses me out. So tomorrow we are going to make a room-by-room trek around the house and gather up anything that could be given away to a garage sale friends are having to raise money for their upcoming Liberian adoption. I bet we won't miss any of it.
Next was realizing that when I am suffering from morning sickness, I cannot get out of bed very easily. In the early days, I would gather the little ones (there were 4 under 6 at one point) in my bedroom, pour a big bowl of Cheerios, and let them dine. Hey, the pilgrims used to share a pot of food- if they could, why not my little puritans? At any rate, it was my survival.
But now I have three young gentlemen and a super-duper six-year-old daughter who are happy to run the kitchen during breakfast and lunch. They will be planning the menus, informing me of what ingredients need to be on the week's shopping list, preparing, and serving the meals.
I took my own advice from Melissa's List and have one boy making and freezing cookie dough balls, one boy making up craft items and activities for the little girls, one boy creating easy-to-grab snacks, and one girl making sure all the diaper bags are ready to go. I also paired as many church outfits for the two-year-old as I could; this morning I grabbed the dress, tights, sweater, and shoes that were all packed together on one hanger and it was delightfully easy to get her out the door.
Lastly, it has taken me more than thirteen years to learn to say "yes". When anyone asks if I need help, I say, "YES". A sweet young mom from church showed up this morning with a pan of enchiladas for us to pop into the freezer. I had no problem accepting her generosity and ministry to our family. This is the Body of Christ.
