Saturday, June 13, 2009

Beautiful Day of Peace and Rest...

Ha! It was our weekly shot at making it to our 9:00 Sacrament Meeting on time. This is where I rush around trying to get everyone into clean, pressed acceptable attire that matches, get their hair combed, shoes tied, mouths fed, pills taken, hearing aids on, plus get myself ready, while my husband misplaces his brain. He helps as much as he can, but he just doesn't get how to get a family ready for church, bless his heart. If I don't have everything all laid out and labeled for him, he's not much help with the kids. He doesn't understand that he needs to get out of bed the same time I do for this thing to work. He starts to help by 8:30, then by 8:40 he quits, gets ready in ten minutes and then tells us all we are making ourselves late for the next 5-25 minutes it takes us to get out the door. It doesn't matter if I start 2 1/2 hours or 1/2 hour before meeting time, the little elves will find a way to sabotage whatever time we have. Once we get there, at least one important item has gone missing, one person has messed up and had to change the clean clothes they just dirtied, at least someone has had a meltdown ( could be me), usually someone has gone missing in action, and someone is packing illegal stuff and has to be maneuvered one way or another into leaving it behind. Someone has to go to the bathroom again. Someone didn't eat yet. It is bedlam.

This Sunday was no exception, but Papi did his very best to be useful and herd us in early so we would be in our place before the meeting began. we hadn't even all gotten seated before one son jumped up like a shot and left the chapel. He left behind a big wet spot on the pew. His brother willingly confessed in the exiting boy's place that he had just popped a water balloon he covertly brought in his pocket. A WATER BALLOON! Sigh. I'm off to the mother's lounge to get some paper towel and try to dry up the spot. I try to convince Papi to go look for the MIA boy before the meeting starts, but he doesn't want to look till I finish going back and forth for paper towel. So glad we are on time...this is so relaxing. We are encouraged to be early so we can get in tune with the Spirit. I'm not so sure I'm getting in tune with the right one...

It's June, but another boy will not be coaxed out of the coat he has on over his head. Another is already picking at a sibling and we're place hopping to strategically locate people away from one another. Tip: If you have 5 children, this will be impossible. Someone will always be by someone else. Plus, wherever you put a child, they will want to be by the other parent, not the one they're sitting by, or if they don't get to be by a parent, that is just heresy. They will all start trying to climb on your lap to be "by" you. My advice to myself? If you get to do life over, try having only one child if you hope to get anything out of church.

Water balloon boy is back and I see that although he wet his pant leg, he still has breakfast smudges all over himself. Much shuffling occurs to get him in his spot; the spot covered with paper towel. The meeting has started and someone has begun giving the welcome and announcements. If I could just get the kids to settle down, maybe I could hear them. Now I have to get a kid off my lap to find the hymn book. He's back on in a flash and I am dodging his head to read the music. We're singing the old pioneer anthem, "Come, Come Ye Saints". I don't know how many of you mentally (or verbally) change the words to songs, but the magenta editing below shows what went on in my mind...

Come come ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear; (heck, no!)
But with joy wend your way. (I'll try)Though hard to you, this journey meeting may appear,
Grace shall be as your day. (I hope so)
'Tis better far for us to strive
Our useless cares from us to drive. (Just give up and let them run amok then?)
Do this and joy your hearts will swell-
All is well! All is well! (Ah, the original Mormon sugar coating...)
Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard? (I can't imagine...)
'Tis not so; all is right. (Well, I don't know...but it will be OK at least)
Why should we think to earn a great reward
If we now shun the fight? ( I don't want a reward, I just want a nap!)
Gird up your loins; fresh courage take.
Our God will never us forsake; (Yeah but will he come sit by us in Sacrament Meeting?)
And soon we'll have this tale to tell,
All is well! All is well!
We'll find the place which God for us prepared,
Far away in the West,(future)
Where none shall come to Gigio no longer will hurt or make afraid;
There the Saints Then his siblings will be blessed.
We'll make the air with music ring
Shout praises to our God and King; (Or at least shout, I'm sure...)
Above the rest these words we'll tell-
All is well! All is well! (Pollyanna style)

(last verse, sung while stopping a scuffle:)
And should we you die before our journey's meeting's through,
Happy day! All is well! It's Not well, it's infanticide!
We then are free from toil and sorrow, too;
But With the just we shall shan't dwell!
But if our your lives are spared again,
to see the Saints their your mom her rest obtain,
Oh, How we'll make this chorus swell-
All is well! All is well! (And then there won't be any sugar coating...)

Let's hope this Sunday goes better, we "get to" be the speakers so we'll all be on the stand in front! I call on the whole blogosphere to pray for us.

P.S. If you are LDS and haven't noticed, the Friend has gone interactive online. Even MY kids like it! Games, puzzles, scripture stories, stories from the Friend, music, etc! Even if you're not LDS, you'll probably find something you like on it. It's here!

8 comments:

Jeri said...

oh girl - I SO understand what you are talking about! Day of rest my foot!

Jeri said...

Oh - and Good luck with the talks on Sunday. (always fun for the mom who gets to write ALL of the kids talks, plus her own...)

Burgh Baby said...

I love your kids. I really do. Water balloon at church? AWESOME. Just don't let them give any ideas to Alexis, mmkay?

Ashley said...

9:00 church is SO impossible to get to on time, I agree! And your hymn comments are so funny!

4boyzmdmom said...

Hilarious! All too true! We'll be praying for you!

Patty O. said...

Oh, my gosh, were you writing about my weekly Sunday experience? I swear it is the same. This past Sunday, I tried soooo hard to get there on time, but everything went wrong. We were only a touch late (missed opening song and announcements). Anyway, one of the women who was speaking, got up and told us how important it is to be on time and how it really isn't hard. It is so easy to get up on time, yadda, yadda, yadda. I was livid. I do not sleep in. In fact, as you say, i could get up hours ahead of time and still have difficulty. Had to remind myself that this elderly woman only had one son, so she has no idea. No idea at all!

Thanks for the laugh, though and for letting me know I am not alone in my trials!

Suburban Correspondent said...

Thanks for reminding me why I hate Sunday mornings. And this is my favorite line:

"Someone will always be by someone else."

Amen, sister...

Mary Ellen said...

Gee, and I thought I had it hard with two boys to corral...

You already ARE a saint!