Mess of the Day # 21 and #22 : Art Supplies

I am so sorry that I haven't posted since I got back from my vacation. I have been having some health issues that started while I was on vacation, and it has been incredibly hard for me to get caught up on everything. (To give you an inkling of how it's been going, I still have not completely unpacked and cleaned out the van and we've been home since July 15!) I'd rather not go into detail on what's been going on with me, but I promise, it's nothing serious! The issues are not resolved 100%, but I'm feeling MUCH better. Actually, the side effects of some medications I was on were worse than anything, and thankfully I'm done with all of those!

I will post about my vacation - which was WONDERFUL, BTW! - another time, because I haven't felt like uploading all the pictures, etc. (I have so many that I need to find a website where I can share entire photo albums.) In the meantime, I want to share some sweet and funny things that the kids have done and said recently.

At one point, while I was on several medications and felt SO bad because I had been unable to sleep for several nights in a row, I got really depressed. (This was also partly due to a side effect of one of the medications.) Everything was getting to me: I was laying around all day and watching the house get trashed while I did nothing about it; the laundry was piling higher and higher; I didn't feel like playing with the kids; and everything was falling further and further behind. I was also bummed because I had huge plans to complete several projects around the house after we got back and before we started school, and of course they haven't been touched. I felt like I had been robbed of my summer. I told myself that I was a horrible mother because my kids were stuck at home all day with a slug of a mom who laid in bed 24/7. I commented to Drama Queen, "Honey, I'm so sorry that I haven't felt like playing. I wish I could do something special with you, but I just don't feel like it. I will as soon as I'm feeling better." She replied, "Oh, Mommy, we're already doing something special. We're together everyday!"

I bawled my eyes out. What a blessing she is!

Pete has been so helpful. When I was feeling my worst, I tried not to rely too much on Drama Queen. It would be so easy to do that because she is so responsible, but I have to remind myself that she got that way partly because she has been given so much responsibility. So, I try hard to give Pete the same opportunities. He felt like such a big shot the day I let him fix lunch all by himself! He has also been great about entertaining Screech.

Screech was actually pretty good on my worst days. It was simply a matter of slogging through until lunchtime, after which I could put her to bed and enjoy a 2-3 hour respite. (God has showered me with blessings in this regard; all of my kids have been excellent sleepers and nappers!) She did manage to get into a few things, though. There was more to get into because Drama Queen and Pete weren't putting things away (and I wasn't up to making sure that they did). Here is her latest handiwork:



I would like to personally thank the people who invented Magic Erasers, as well as the people who invented washable paint, crayons and markers! I don't even allow non-washable art supplies in the house anymore. I have a few Sharpies and permanent markers, but they are well hidden. Even Hubby, Drama Queen and Pete don't know where they are!

I'm going to try to get back into the blogging groove this week. Talk to you again soon!