Overwhelmed

I've heard people say that blogs are simply a way to show the rest of the world how wonderful your life is. Anyone who knows anything about real life knows that no one's life is perfect...we all have triumphs and failures...heartaches and joys. But what I choose to share with the rest of the world is the {mostly} happy moments in our life, because that is what I like to focus on. Lest you think our life is different from yours here is a glimpse of real life at our house today.

You remember how we finished our basement last summer? Yes? No? Well, we did. It was a headache but a great learning adventure. A few weeks before the entire project was finished we discovered that our contractor was not who he claimed to be. {I sure wish we lived in a world where we could trust people without getting hurt in the process.} Shortly after it was all finished a good friend of ours moved into the apartment part of our basement.

A couple of months ago we noticed that water was leaking from the downstairs bathroom into one of the bedrooms. {We had to fix a ceiling leak last November as well.} We called a neighbor of ours who is a plumber. After some detective work it was soon realized that our "lovely contractor" never installed a shower pan. The cement was saturated, the sheet rock was saturated....the shower would have to be taken completely out....every single piece of tile...all the glass. It was a nightmare!

Well, our friend has since move out, the shower has been completely redone {by an expert tiler...it looks awesome!} and my sister and her family are moving in on Saturday.

Wow! That was a lot of background information. :)

Now to the being overwhelmed portion of this post:

I've been spending so much time in the basement this week clearing things out(we furnished everything for our friend...dishes, pans, beds, towels, etc.), boxing things up, washing walls, cleaning out all the kitchen appliances, resealing the kitchen tile, that I have completely neglected our living portion of the house. You should see it....then again, no, you really shouldn't.

Today I was scrubbing the new-again bathroom downstairs while listening to Ryker wail on the other side of the door. I had to get the bathroom clean so they could come and seal the tile this afternoon. Ryker had to wait.

After I got the bathroom cleaned I went into the toy room to play with Ryker and Jaxon for a few minutes. The longer I stayed in there the more stressed I got thinking about everything that I needed to get done. Ryker started to cry again because he wanted me to help him shoot baskets. Jaxon called from the other room "Why are you only playing with Ryker?" I replied "Because Ryker is crying." Jaxon said that it made him feel bad that I only wanted to play with Ryker and I wouldn't play Ninja Turtles with him.

I lost it. (sometimes it doesn't take much)

I physically felt like I couldn't do one more thing.

I need play with my kids.

I need to take a shower.

I need to buy milk and vitamins.

I need to get keys made.

I need to patch holes and touch-up paint.

I need to find a place for the dresser.

I need to sweep the stairs in the walk-out.

I need to clean my house.

I need to help my sister move in.

I need to take inventory in our food storage.

I need....

While I sat crying, Jaxon came over and played with my hair and said "What's the matter mom?" Too much. Too much to do. Not enough time. It all has to be done NOW. None of it can wait. I just feel tired. And my kids. My sweet babies...they have been patiently waiting on the back burner while I take care of my other needs. Guilt. Tears. Stress. Tears. Guilt. Tears.

And do you know what my tender-hearted little boy said to me? He asked, "Do you want to say a prayer, mom?"

Yes.

And we did. Right there in the toyroom.

I put Ryker down for a nap and I took a shower.

I fed Jaxon lunch and once again counted my blessings. And then I got to work. Because I really do have a lot to do.

"Let us CHEERFULLY do all things that lie in our power;

and then may we STAND STILL..."

Doctrine and Covenants 123:17

That is my new favorite scripture. One day it will be on my wall. Hopefully it reminds me before future meltdowns that everything works out for the best. Everything. Always.