...When Two Hands Aren't Enough

 "But Mommy, I need help!  I don't have enough hands!"  Miriam started to get an anxiety attack as she attempted to clamber up into the minivan while securing all her princesses within the grasp of her little fingers.  All I could think was, I know the feeling.

Now that there are three young ones in the house, I find myself on the verge of my own anxiety attack, shouting, "I only have two hands!  You need to WAIT!"  To which Miriam whines (in case you want the full picture), "But waiting is too haaaard!"  So far, life with three (age span of 37 months) is actually not too different than life with two, except in two ways: (1) I'm doing everything I was doing, only on even less sleep, if that's possible; and, (2) there are moments where things are exponentially more challenging.

Our newest tadpole, Augustine "Gus" Gregory
5.10.14

I've been coping with the sleep issue by continuing my 1-2 cups of coffee a day.  And, YES, that is while I am nursing.  I've also decided to make the most of my awake hours by increasing one of my favorite hobbies: reading.  I think I've read four books* since Gus's birth, compared to the one book a month I had been able to read pre-Gus.  So that's pretty cool.

What do I do during those exponentially more challenging moments?  After screaming, "I only have two hands!" I remember that they are, in fact, only "moments," usually lasting no more than 45 minutes.  They are finite, and in retrospect, never quite carry the "I-want-to-blast-everyone-to-outer-space" intensity as they do in the midst of the emotional furry.  When all three kids are screaming uncontrollably at once for three different reasons, I place each of them in a separate room, with the doors shut (of course), muster up a mustard seed's worth of composure, and start tackling one door at a time.  Yep, this is how I cope.

All my helping hands

Thankfully, I have four little hands that help me throughout the day.  When they're tired of coloring and nose-picking, they help me by sweeping the floor.  [TRANSLATE: Grab a broom the minute Mom is reaching for the dustpan and send the pile of breakfast leftovers scattering the floor once again.  Fight over whose broom is whose.]  When they're bored of sword fighting and climbing, they help me entertain the baby.  [TRANSLATE: Find the exact moment Baby falls asleep in swing, and start pushing the swing faster than Tot pushes us at the park.  Giggle hysterically.]  When these four little hands have finished building Arendelle and playing the piano, they help me fold laundry.  [TRANSLATE:  Quickly unfold all pieces that have been folded, and turn them into a rocket ship.  Make Mom sit in the back as we blast off to the moon.]

Once the day is done, I wonder about these four little hands.  I wonder if the hours they spend making Stone Soup in the backyard will manifest into serving chicken noodle soup at a homeless shelter.  I remember how just the other day Noah saw Miriam crying over wanting the toy he had, so he gently went up to her, saying, "Here, Miri-bella."  I hope those sharing hands will find their way onto a school playground soon.  In instances when I've discovered that those four little hands have left toys in the grasp of the two tiniest sleeping hands in our house, I pray that those receiving hands will find a way to follow the Good they see.  I just need to remember that I don't only have two hands, because God's lending me His every step of the way.

Biggest Blessing: An extra pair of hands was here to help!

*I need to make a plug for a book I recently read.  It was so good, I couldn't put it down and made my husband read it aloud to me during contractions.  Dead serious.  Check it out: Wonder by R.J. Palacio

...When Your Kids Teach You How to Hunt for Treasure

Yesterday we enjoyed a very blessed and joyful Easter!  In the afternoon, Miriam told me, "Easter is the best day ever!"  Then, at the day's end, I asked the kids what their favorite part was.  I'm pretty sure Noah said, "Jello jigglers!" though I can't quite remember.  Miri replied, "The treasure hunt!"  In her world of maps, action, and pirates, she did not go on an Easter egg hunt but, rather, a treasure hunt.

Tot and kids decorating eggs
4.19.14

By ten o'clock this morning, I had picked up every single piece of our Tupperware that was strewn across the floor.  Then, I found myself staring at the Easter grass scattered everywhere.  The kids had decided to go swimming in it, then digging in it, then using it (along with the Tupperware) to make me "delicious" ice cream, soup, and salad.  This bending-down-business at 38 weeks pregnant gets old fast, and I just couldn't find the energy to pick up a single piece of the Easter grass.  Solution?  I texted my husband and warned him what he'll find when he comes home... and told him he'd be cleaning it up.  Ha!  I'm lucky he's so loving.



Then I decided I needed to go on my own treasure hunt.

The joy in finding treasures from the Easter Bunny!

 Recently, in my daily Bible reading*, I came across this piece of wisdom from St. John of Avila: "One act of thanksgiving to God when things are going wrong is worth a thousand thanks when things are going the way they want them to go."  I must have read this a dozen times.  Lately, I've felt as though everything has been going wrong.  And the anger builds up.  And I yell at my kids.  And I roll my eyes at my husband.  Even my cousin, texted me saying, "Everything you say begins with 'ugh.'"  Ugh.  It was too true.  St. John of Avila was guiding me, and I wanted to follow his direction.

My oldest and youngest treasures

So, the next time both kids were throwing ridiculous tantrums, I shut each of us in our own rooms.  I let the prayer, "Thank you, God, for this moment of chaos," combat my anger.  I heard an Echo in my prayer: "...because I really am thankful for my kids, who just happen to be creating this chaos."  Then, when I was hit with some bad pregnancy-induced pain and had to go to yet one more appointment, I found myself saying, "Thank you, God, for this pain."  This time the Echo called, "...because I really am thankful for my good health and the health of the baby in spite of it all."


These are baby steps in my progress toward gratitude, faith, trust, and optimism.  Easter Sunday was a powerful reminder for me to look for my daily treasures.  During the kids' Easter egg hunt yesterday, Noah "seized" all his treasure, by trying to stuff everything in his mouth before moving onto the next piece.  Miriam, on the other hand, was very discerning with her treasure, politely indicating that, "This one can be for Noah or Nathan," if it wasn't quite to her liking or not her preferred color choice of egg.

Miriam hunting; Noah eating

Next time, when my kids hand me a sword and tell me to be Captain Hook, I hope to look for a true treasure, instead of waiting for the role-playing to end.  I think my beginner's step will be to follow Miriam's discerning nature.  Maybe one day, though, I'll be good enough to imitate Noah and seize all the treasures He bestows upon me.





*If anyone is looking for a Bible plan, I highly recommend this one: My Daily Catholic Bible
I started about 13 months ago, and am almost halfway through.  Clearly, my progress is slow, but it's still been so worth it.

Easter Mass; 4.20.14

The real treasure in this blog?  I do not need to send pictures to anyone who requested them for Easter.  (JA, I'm talking about you!)