Busy, Busy, Busy

Like most people in our culture, I feel very busy.  VERY VERY busy.

Stepping back, that isn't too surprising.  Nine kids, including a baby.  I homeschool the older 6 and have a 3 year old and 2 year old to keep safe and engaged in life.

However, I have been thinking about the reality that when I'm pregnant, I feel quite sick the first 3 months and very bulbous and limited the last 3 months, and still all the basic things of life get done -- in spite of my limitations.

So, why is it that when I'm pregnant and sick, I get everything necessary done but now that I feel more energetic, I still feel pushed to the limit most of the time?

The answer is complicated.  One thing is that Kevin took over many of my outside the home responsibilities when I was pregnant.  He took over the grocery shopping and other errands. That helped a lot.  I also didn't go out and do fun, outside activities with the children much.

I'm adding back some grocery shopping to my "to do list", especially as Kevin is in a new position at work which requires longer hours and more fixed times when he needs to be at work.

I am also making the effort to take the kids on field trips at least occasionally.  This last week, I took the kids to the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery in 2 groups of 5 (different kids each time except the baby came with me both times.)  I'll try to write a post about that trip.

Right now I am nursing the baby still (praise God, I'm still nursing!!) and that takes several hours a day. So I feel busy from that.

It is Ok that I am busy, but I am thinking about my time with the Lord God of the Universe.  I have been getting up a little later than usual most days (close to 7 a.m,) which means the kids get up about when I do, which means it is hard to find time to read the Bible and pray quietly.  I am usually up once with the baby during the night,  and that is a time for prayer and reading a Christian book on my Kindle (gotta love my Kindle with its backlit screen!)

I am reading through a book called How to Hear God's Voice.  I read the previous version of this book 20 years ago and it is fantastic.  It teaches some ways to hear from God directly, to actually have conversations with God. I know it works but I haven't done that much lately due to sheer busyness and weariness and distraction from our family life.

And that isn't good. So I have the goal of finding some more quiet time in my life when I can pray, listen to God's voice, and journal. I am also praying for wisdom to know what things I am doing that I shouldn't, so I can free up some time.  Reality is, this is a busy season for our family.  But that won't end any time soon.  We have been blessed with 9 glorious children and they have many needs. I have to find time, though, to nurture my relationship with God.  That IS the most important relationship of all, and if that relationship fails, my roles as wife and mother will suffer immensely.