When All Else Fails.....

Two blogs in one day. I don't know that will happen again, but the mood has struck, so write I must.

If I've ever given the impression that life here is perfect, I'm sorry. It's not. If you know me, you know that I am a most flawed human who can be moody, headstrong, and confounding. So, starting and ending with me, this house isn't perfect.

My kids aren't perfect. While they are angelically beautiful, they can be quite a handful. Our son is strong-willed. We have been assured that this will serve him well in life. This isn't going unchecked.  Our daughter is coming into her own. Her little personality is a delight; she does, however, have a penchant for climbing and risk taking that her brother did not have.

And my husband. Truly, no one could be easier to live with. My only complaint is that he hoards my plastic containers at work until I beg him to bring them home.

This past month has been difficult. I've been sick most of the month of January. And, still, just as any Momma does, I've risen. Sadly, I haven't always shined.

Maybe it's been the yucky stuff in my sinuses and throat that I've had that the first round of antibiotics failed to heal and a double ear infection crept in somehow. Maybe it's the end of two and a half years of pregnancy, nursing, and Clomid for three months before stopping only to get pregnant the next month. Maybe it's the post-Christmas and New Year's blah.  Maybe it's the solar flares or whatever they're called.

Or maybe it's just me.

January always seems to be a tough month. This one is no exception and it's been particulary hard. When the second round of meds was prescribed I just said, "That's it. No school for a few days. Momma just isn't able."

Of course, as any child would be, my oldest was thrilled that we weren't going to do workbooks. He's a snuggly one, that one. His eyes glowed when I told him to go get us a stack of books. He arranged our pillows just so in Daddy's recliner. He grabbed a blanket big enough to cover him, his sister, and me, and the remote for when my throat got too raw to read any longer.

We watched lots of PBS kids that week.

We read lots of books.

But I still wasn't feeling better. I mean, physically I got stronger. Normal day-to-day things continued- kids fed, kitchen cleaned, laundry done, toys picked up. Naps or rest times enforced.

Still, I wasn't quite feeling just right. I try to read my Bible first thing every morning. I don't always do it. Often, my early risers wake up before or just minutes after me. Several mornings during that rough time, I just skipped it altogether.

And my family felt the effects. Not just a sick Momma. But a grumpy, unhappy, miserable one.

Texts would appear saying, "Have you read your Bible?" or when he'd call to check in he'd ask, "Did you read your Bible?"

When I'd mumble a no. His response was, "You know you'll feel better if you read it."

And he was right. Such an easy remedy for any day- good, bad, or indifferent.

When all else fails, read the Directions.