God sent Annie to our family as a true gift 2 years ago. Because my hubby works 80-100 hours a week, I have about 8 hours a week of responsibility outside my home and we don't have family in town, I cannot imagine not having her extra hands a dozen or so hours a week. I am not superwoman. The level of physical and emotional energy required with these kiddos exceeds my capacity.
Annie has been available as a respite for a weary Mommy, a helper for Doctor's appointments, trips to the pool, day trips to see friends out of town and a fabulous playmate for the children when I have had meetings to attend or errands to run. She absolutely "gets" how things run around here and reinforces our rules and most importantly our values. She has been a teacher for my kiddos and a steady dependable help for me. She has proven herself trustworthy with the most valuable thing in my life, my family.
Annie has promised to still be available for date nights and a late afternoon or so a week, as long as she can manage it. We are so grateful!
We have 4 weeks of no structured activities before Mothers Morning Out starts again. If I have learned one trick for squelching bad attitudes it is to get out of the house.
Yesterday, we kicked off our new chapter with a roadtrip to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. What fun the children had learning about honeybees, tadpoles, frogs and things that grow in the vegetable garden.
K was able to see first-hand where many things "come from" like watermelon, pumpkins, tomatoes and peppers. We capped the afternoon off with a swim in Grandmother & Granddaddy's pool.
For those of you who are drawn to my "authenticity," prepare for a huge dose of it over the course of the next month as I have to really get creative to juggle my responsibilities.
I am so thankful I have done this study of the fruit of the Spirit immediately prior to entering this season. I LOVE my children, but I also cherish a little time of refreshment here and there to keep me going. I am sure the Lord is going to teach me a lot over the course of this next month until we get back in the swing of things. Here we go!
7 comments:
You're always so creative...I'm sure you'll be able to turn the little things into bid adventures for them!
Those special Mommy's Helpers are truly angels from above!
We lived in GA up until this Jan and we LOVED botanical gardens. Also the Zoo has good prices on a year pass and provided MANY mornings out for us to get out of the house. And Ryan LOVED it plus it was a short 20 to 30 minute drive down.
I get you on needing times of refreshment ... I'm looking forward to some as well.
I just LOVE reading your blogm and I'm amazed at the energy you have!!
Know that I'm praying for you during this transition time! God has an AMAZING plan for you....and it's great to hear you are open..and looking for what God is wanting to show/teach you!
You are IN my prayers.
Kim~
I know the children will miss Annie,but nice they will still get to see her on occasion! Our daughter is a nanny for a family with three girls this summer-what great experience for her. She has learned so much for the future.
Wanna know why I love your blog so much? Because I like reading about and seeing pictures of your darling kiddos. It warms my heart to hear how they are being raised, how you are bringing them up, and how you manage all of them. But most of all, because you are transparent.
I'm not a pessimist, and I don't enjoy hearing people talk about how bad they have it, how busy they are, or complaining all the time. But there's something that I connect with when I know that "so and so" isn't perfect. It endears me to them somehow, puts us on a more level playing field. Thanks for being honest in your blog, and for sharing with us your "real life"!
Blessings,
Leah
Yikes! Are you going to try to find a new "Nanny Annie"?
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