fits, coffee explosions, and too many questions

As a person, I really do love and cherish quiet time. I get up early, without trying most of the time, and have a few minutes of quiet, alone time most mornings. And I try to take this time to reflect on my life, my day, and what God has for me. How He will help me as long as I go to Him....happy alone time.

But occasionally, I wake up to my toddler screaming for me. This, of course, wakes everyone else up and instantly I'm needed. 

I'm needed for breakfast, bathroom trips, clothing, cleaning, and school almost immediately and for at least the first hour of my morning. I have no time to go to the bathroom, in fact I'm pretty sure my body just recognizes that "she's busy" and goes into this "survival" mode where everything my body, soul, mind and heart needs just gets put on hold...more like a simmer. Not hold. Simmer mode. Where you know eventually it will boil over. 

It's like a firehouse alarm going off and instantly you have to get moving about 60 mph in order to try to get ahold of things. You're the adult, after all. You're supposed to have things under control.

Now, I should be thankful for healthy children who can talk, eat, go to the bathroom, and breathe on their own. Who are not in the hospital for any reason. Who I GET to take care of...but let's be honest. This thought usually comes second to last. The first thing is always, okay...I can do this. I can do this. Just start doing and it will get done.

And then I come up with something, one thing at a time, but just one thing that I need to get me through. 

If it's reading the bible, then the children have questions and will not give me quiet or alone time to read or even comprehend what I'm reading. "Mom, what is this?" "What am I supposed to do on this assignment?" "Can I have more breakfast?" "Mom, I'm sorry I spilt my water on your stuff."

If it's a cup of coffee, it gets left in the microwave too long (during the second reheat) and explodes, thus creating more work. Then more questions come, "Mom, what happened?" "What's that smell?" "What'd you do?"

If it's cleaning, I will do a job to turn around and find it needs to be done again almost immediately. And more thoroughly. 

And the list goes on.

Ever have one of these mornings? 

And it starts the night before. ALWAYS.

It's usually following a night where your baby or someone in your house needs you throughout the 

e n t i r e night. 

• The dog gets sick and has explosive diarrhea.
• The child has a cold and can't breathe through the night.
• The baby just threw up all over your side of the bed. And it's the kind that really stinks so you can't ignore it until morning.

Oh, and fun fact, I'm ALSO the type of person who CANNOT go back to sleep once I'm awake. Very rarely when I wake up can I go back to sleep and if I do, it is h o u r s later. 

It happens to all of us. And it just sets the tone for the entire next day. No matter how hard you try, you can't beat it. You can't even keep up with it. Defeat is the theme of the song and you are the lead singer.

The only thing that makes it all stop. And I mean STOP.

Is prayer.

For guidance. Support. Patience. A moment. The right words. The right timing to apologize to your children *ahem*. And then apologize again.

But the funny thing is that it will all start again. M A D N E S S. 

So you pray again.

All day long you feel like you're going to the Lord and "bothering" Him.

But then, you realize, He wants you to come to Him. Every time. All the time. Because He actually IS in control.
And maybe He's letting you go through the madness so that you learn to go to Him in prayer.

Huh.