It's Been Hard Getting Back in the Groove...

I've had a few trials today, but for me, a trial is whenever something doesn't go my way. I had my day planned around helping out one of the coordinators of our VBS, but when I called her, there was no work to be done. I missed out on the work distribution this past Sunday because we were on the road, coming back from Illinois. The next work distribution isn't until this coming Sunday. Though that freed up the time I had planned to work on VBS, I didn't have a back-up plan. The housework seemed so overwhelming that I didn't know where to start.

The grass hadn't been mowed in weeks and our yard was beginning to look like a jungle. Therefore, I decided that I would spend the day mowing so that while I mowed the yard I could think of how and when to tackle my house chores. I put DearDaughter2 down for her morning nap, I set DearDaughter1 up with some bubbles on the patio, and I got the mower all prepped up for the task. It started up with no problems and I was on my way to getting this task off of DearHubby's To Do list. I mowed about a quarter of our left side's front yard when the mail woman pulled into our driveway. Apparently there were bugs crawling around our mailbox and she was grossed out by them and decided to hand deliver the mail to me. Therefore, I drove up to the mail woman on my lawn tractor and turned it off. BAD move! I couldn't start it back up again. I know it was full of gas because I just filled it before taking off. I checked the oil level and it was full. So, I thought the motor just overheated and needed time to cool off. I pushed the mower all the way back to the house to let it sit under the shade of our maple tree. I thought, "No problem. I'll just have lunch with DearDaughter1 and we'll just come out again after lunch."

After lunch and getting DearDaughter2 up and feeding her, I set up the Pack N Play outside for the girls to play in while I mowed. DearDaughter2 sleeps in her Pack N Play, so I had to disassemble it, carry it outside, and reassemble it. Then, I had to choose toys that would keep both girls occupied and lug them all outside. This whole process took about 20 minutes.

It then took another 10 minutes to prep myself up for the mowing task again. I had to put on my socks and work shoes and lather up my legs, arms, neck, and chest with sun block. My thinking was that if the mower started up, everything would be prepared and I wouldn't need to turn it off again and I can just get up and go. Well, to no avail, the mower DID NOT start up. It wasn't even turning over. I called DearHubby to see if he could give me any advice about a quick fix, but he didn't want me to touch anything, hurting myself or the mower. At this point, I grew really frustrated because it was now 1pm and NOTHING had been accomplished today.

I knew that if I stayed frustrated, then NOTHING more would get done. I hadn't had time to think about what house chores to tackle first, so I decided to tackle the bathroom, since it looked the dirtiest. The toilet and tub had not been cleaned in weeks. So, I went through the whole process of disassembling and reassembling the Pack N Play inside. My thinking here was since I was going to use the Pack N Play to occupy the girls outside then I'll just use the Pack N Play to occupy the girls inside. It was another BAD idea!!!

DearDaughter1 is used to playing inside the house. She knows what she is allowed to get into and she knows what she is not allowed to get into. Therefore, the Pack N Play did not keep DearDaughter1 "bound" to just that little area. She was in and out of the Pack N Play. I didn't think she was in any sort of danger. She was just running in circles through the house, something we've done before. Well, little 2 year olds are still very clumsy little ones and somehow, DearDaughter1 tripped and fell, cutting her bottom lip open with her teeth and scraping her upper gums. Blood was quickly dripping all over the floor and DearDaughter1 was hysterically crying. She wouldn't hold still for a second, so I couldn't see whether or not I needed to take her to the ER.

I didn't respond well during this situation and all chaos broke loose in the house. Both girls were now crying hysterically and I couldn't gain control of DearDaughter1. Instead of comforting her as I should have, I retreated and walked away and told her that when she was ready for my help then I would come and help her. She was still bleeding, but I was afraid that if I struggled to see her wound, then I'd hurt her even more. After a little while, DearDaughter1 called for me and I asked if she was ready for my help. I finally got the bleeding to stop and was able to assess whether or not to take DearDaughter1 to the doctor. The cuts on her lips didn't look deep enough for stitches so I decided to just give DearDaughter1 some Tylenol. I then took her into the living room and had ler lay on our futon and I put on a few videos for her. She wasn't interested in sucking on ice to keep the swelling down, so her lips are quite fat. I tried giving her a popsicle, but she wasn't interested in it. So, I put some apple juice in a couple of squares on the ice tray and made her apple juicicles. I hope she'll be fooled into eating those so that we can get something cold on her lips.

I sound so cool and controlled in how I handled the situation, but I know I didn't do what was pleasing to the Lord in a few instances. This was my first time dealing with an accident and I was quite stressed out. And here, I was thinking I was prepared through all the times I've taken DearHubby to the ER with all the accidents he's had around the house. It's a lot different with a child and your own child! The biggest difference is that DearHubby always remained calm which helped me stay calm and I was able to think clearly. I had 2 little ones crying hysterically which caused me to grow anxious and to not think clearly. I hope the Lord will help me lean on His grace the next time.

Needless to say, it's now 4:09pm as I'm writing this. The house is in disarray and DearHubby is on his way home. I'm not sure if I should even attempt to pick up a little, finish the tub I was cleaning, or just rest???