And Summer Stressin'

My mother-in-law asked me if I felt like I'd adjusted to having four kids.  It was an interesting question, and I honestly wasn't sure what my answer was.  Because every few weeks, everything keeps changing.  I had a baby, and then after two weeks of trying to adjust, Craig suddenly had spring break.  And then he was back to work and crazy busy with his GMU classes.  And then those classes stopped.  And then school got out and suddenly had all four kids at home 24/7 plus a husband and we had a few weeks to play.  And then this last week, Craig began his summer internship and GMU classes.  So which kids I have home and the amount of Daddy help that I get (and I am very blessed because Craig is one of the most helpful fathers ever) keeps changing.  So how can I possibly ever adjust?

But to actually try to answer that question, most of the time I feel like I'm doing all right with four kids.  I don't think I'm a super amazing mother by any stretch of the imagination, but I manage to get the kids dressed and fed most days, so I count that as good enough, and try to only focus on a couple things to work on at a time (namely, stop yelling at the kids so much).  But it's clear to anyone who knows me that my stress level has a lot to do with how much Craig is around.  And happily, my stress level goes DOWN when he's here.  (What would I do if the opposite were true???)  But last week Craig was hardly around at all-- with more of the same for the next two weeks-- so I've been a bit stressed out. 

Okay, I've been a lot stressed out.

And this seems to be reflected in my dreams.  Here are four that I can remember from this week:

-I dreamed that I had left Ryder and Colton napping at the house all alone.  They'd been there for an hour and a half when I panicked and decided that I needed to race home.  And then I couldn't get home, no matter how hard I tried.  I kept getting lost or sidetracked, and I never made it there before I woke up.

-I dreamed that I needed to go to a laundromat and no matter how much I tried, I could never make it there.

-I dreamed I was visiting my parents and suddenly I noticed a couple sewing needles in their carpet.  As I knelt down to pick them up, I found more and more, and suddenly the entire floor was littered in needles and nails and all kinds of sharp objects that you don't want in your carpet.  I spent the rest of the dream trying frantically to pick them all up.

And finally, last night

-I dreamed that I had gone to church in my underwear.  Realizing my mistake and feeling suddenly very embarrassed, I handed off Ryder and Colton to two different women in my ward (friends, but not necessarily very close friends), and ran home to get dressed.  And then I couldn't find any clothes.  My own closet was filled with the kids' clothes.  I was quite sure that I had packed my clothes in some trunk, but I couldn't seem to find that trunk, and I woke up before I even managed to get dressed, let alone get back to church to collect my little ones.


Yeah.  I guess that's how I'm feeling these days.

But the kids are dressed and fed.  And the house is occasionally clean.  So that's something, right?

Just two more weeks of this insanity and then I get Craig back again!