A Cup of Cappucino

Someday I’m not going to remember what it was like to have four kids four and under. But I don’t want to lose sympathy for young mother struggling in the midst of toddler years. My day started out great. I got up before the kids – only because they slept in for some reason, and was sitting at the counter eating my homemade cinnamon roll. I thought I was doing great, I had a homemade cinnamon roll and a cup of cappuccino, that I thought I might actually finish today all in one sitting since the kids were all still in bed. It’s been a while since I haven’t had to reheat it or dump it – I mean months. I sat at the computer making phone calls. Nora has a problem with her eye and we need to have it looked at by an optometrist. I called to ask some questions and they said they would call me back. I finished making a few phone calls but I didn't finish my cappuccino before Nat came out, then Nina and Nora, and finally Nessa woke up. Let me state here that Logan was out mowing the lawn. I should have known they would wake up soon. Right at the height of changing diapers getting kids dressed and fed, Logan’s mom called on Skype. We chatted for a while, sometimes from across the room while I was changing Nora. Nessa was crying so I picked her up and started to feed her when I got a phone call from the eye Doctor. I had to close the call with Susan and talk to this receptionist – a very important phone call. I was nursing Nessa and it just continued to get noisier and noisier in the house. Logan was outside mowing, all the windows were open and Nat and Nora were at my feet asking, whining, etc for anything they could think of. I couldn't feed Nessa and talk to this lady. I put Nessa in Nora’s crib and had to let her cry, then came back to the kitchen for a second to calm Nat and Nora and look up something for the receptionist. But just then Nora grabbed the cup of cappuccino that I had made for Nat from the table and dumped it all over the table, chair and entire dining room floor. It was everywhere. I tried to dry it up while talking to this lady, but it was getting too loud, I.e. Nessa screaming from the crib, the mower and Nat – whose drink had been taken. I walked to the back bathroom and closed the door to finish the conversation. (Still trying to drown out the noise.) But just then a deafening scream came from the kitchen. I thought Nat had gotten really hurt. I told the lady I thought there was something wrong with my son so she said she would put me on hold while she looked up something. I walked out to the kitchen only to find Nora running towards me with Nat’s cinnamon roll. The reason for the scream. Then the cell phone rang. I answered it, asked them if I could call them back (above the lawn mower) as I walked around trying to shut the windows and stepping over the cappuccino all over the floor. Then the eye lady was back. I finally finished with her back in my bedroom and picked up Nessa to begin feeding her again. I thought we were nearing the end of the story, but then she threw up all over me. But the phone calls were done at least so I put her in the tub to wash her off and and the door bell rang. I grabbed her out of the tub and rushed to open the door for the three other kids I would be watching today, a 8, 5 and 3 year old. And Logan's response when he got inside - Why didn't you come and get me? Forget about that cappuccino- it finally got dumped about supper time. What did I learn? My idol for peace, quiet, cleanliness is slowly shrinking as my cappuccino gets cold every day. Sometimes we get so caught up in the worlwind of life that we forget the most important. The people around us and a God who is always in control. I can praise Him for that. I can live with cold cappuccino. That’s no big deal, and I look to praise God for things that are happening that are good - no real tornadoes or hurricanes coming through our town this week.

Lest you think this is just an abnormal day let me explain my house today. Nessa is screaming, Nora and Nat begging for milk in their cereal and we have no clean bowls or spoons because I loaded the dishwasher, but forgot to start it. Logan is trying to instant message me from church, I still have a towel on my head, and Nina just called from the bathroom, the toilet is plugged and 1/4 inch from running over. All this while listening to the Ratatouille soundtrack (quite loud) I better go...