Making Plans and Accepting God's Way

I have a list of things I would like to do every day. It has things on it like walk with the kids, read both some fiction and some non-fiction, do school and read aloud with the kids, practice my harp that's just sitting there (in the way) getting out of tune, read the Bible. I want to do them every day (-ish) but they're mostly non-essentials that tend to get pushed aside. Most don't take long, but all together the list adds up to four hours of activities. Where can I fit four more hours into my day? Between the dishes and the laundry, the meal planning and grocery shopping, the diapers and the phone calls, the spanking and the napping? I know, if we just quit eating, I'd have time... And this list doesn't even include the projects I'd like to work on such as pictures, knitting, or image work for Exodus.

This morning after sitting down to write these things into a list I began buzzing around the house in an attempt to, you know, get more done. First thing to do was clean up the kitchen. But then, not two minutes after writing up the list, I went to throw away the bag from the loaf of bread I'd made into French toast for breakfast and forgot all about the shards of broken pie plate I'd put in the garbage last night. Slice! Thanks to Lucy's injury last week my medicine container is now quite stocked on bandaids. I pause. I take a minute to staunch the blood and slap a bandaid on my pinkie. I thank God that yes, I can make lists, yes, I can try to get more done, but in the end, He's in control. Man makes the plan, God directs his way...

Motherhood involves a lot of to do lists, a lot of fitting life in between diapers and dishes. But then you have a moment in the midst of it all when you pick up the baby and rock out to "I'm Gonna Be" by the Proclaimers. The fact that you're both still in jammies makes it all the more special. Let me tell you, that's what motherhood's really all about.

Getting some fresh air today. A little rain never stopped us!