You Can Only Laugh
What a day… while working full time, albeit remotely, I prepared dinner well in advance of dinner time. I was trying a new recipe my sister recommended, hibachi style chicken with magic mustard sauce… it was delicious! I had told two families I’d take their girls to softball practice. I had also forgotten my husband was out of town, so this would be in addition to five of my own children. Our vehicle seats nine so we were good on space.
My plan was to bring dinner along with us to practice to eat picnic style. Activities during dinner time is a real struggle! I loaded up my kids to head out to pick up the other two girls. I arrived at the first house only to find out from the mother that I’m an hour early! Ah, it was true… my phone calendar said 6pm, but the team app calendar said 7pm.So, I take my kids home to eat dinner around the table rather than a blanket at the ballpark.
The new recipe was delicious, although three of the youngest children disagreed and cried through dinner.
Second attempt… I load up the five children again and this time pick up two more girls on time and make our way to softball practice. The 20-minute drive is very loud with the seven children.
We unload the car and as I watch the children unload one after another I can’t help but think, “anyone witnessing this must think we’re a bunch of clowns unloading at the circus.”
My three-year-old son starts running around the park. His pants are a little big on him and they start falling down. He thinks this is hilarious, despite me repeatedly telling him it’s not, and continues to run and have his drawers shimmy down his legs.
My 18 month old is standing in the wagon and my five-year-old gives it a tug, the baby flips out backwards. I’m absolutely terrified watching this, but by the grace of God she’s not injured.
The one hour practice is over and I herd them all back to the car and they pile in. We drive a very loud 20 minutes back towards home, drop off the extra girls and back in the drive way.
As the children were heading into the house to start bedtime routines I think… woa… what a day! It was stressful trying to prepare dinner ahead of departure, adding frustration by getting the practice time wrong, coercing children to eat a meal they didn’t like (but had never tried before and was actually very good), driving to and from practice with the extra drop offs.
It was a good day. Everyone was fed, I helped out two other families, we were on time to practice rather than late and my kids had fun running around. Little by little we persevered.
Little by Little- Children
As a mother of six children, I am often asked… “how do you do it?” My first thought is, “a lot of prayer.” I don’t always say that though.
I wasn’t really sure how to answer the question. We just do it! As the phrase “little by little” kept appearing in my life I realized that was the answer…
“How do you do it?”
“Little by little.”
We didn’t have six children all at once. We had one, then two, then three…
With each child we learned how to care for them, then how to care for two and three and so on. As the children came along the older children kept getting older and older. They had learned new skills, speech and responsibilities and they could now help and contribute to the family. So, as each little child grew bigger, they became able to help care for the new little ones and so on…
In the depths of parenting, I would use the phrase “little by little” to remind myself that this child will eventually sleep through the night, at some point this child won’t spit everything up or this child will be able to sit on the floor and play while I use the restroom.
It is also a phrase I use to remind myself that the children are learning and that takes time. That little by little they will learn to carry a cup without spilling, to put on their own shoes and learn to buckle their own seatbelt. It all takes time little by little they will slowly learn and develop new skills.
Little by little greatness will be achieved.