Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Illustrate the meaning of "It's No Use Crying over Spilt Milk" (without using the actual phrase or literal exampl (02/07/08)
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TITLE: Single Mom Sunday | Previous Challenge Entry
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02/12/08 -
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One by one, they file into the kitchen to get ready for breakfast. “Are we going to church today?” My oldest child asks. “Yes, so we need to all eat, get dressed and be good so we can get going.” Translation: No fighting. I put five plates, five cups, and five forks on the table , crack 12 eggs into a skillet to scramble , put the blueberry muffin batter in the oven to cook, then go finish getting ready. I turn the iron on and hear a gasp from my son. “What?” I say. “Saige needs food Mom, I can see her bones!” I laugh to myself and go in the kitchen to check it out. I find the “bones” to be nothing more than faded pen lines drawn on her torso by my 2 year old.
I put the baby down and then I hear my five year old, “gross, Sophia’s diaper is wet and it stinks!” I abandon getting ready for the moment and change her. As I throw the diaper away, I notice the trash needs to be taken out. I step outside into an already sweltering summer day and look at the lawn overgrown with weeds. I add mowing the lawn to the long list of things to be done this week while they are at their dad’s house.
As I approach the door to go inside, I feel something wet on my dress. I figure some strange gunk escaped the cheap trash bag, so I skip the sniff test and hurry in to change. I hear muffled screams from inside. I fling open the door and holler “what is going on!?” “Jeremiah took Sophia’s plate and Sophia threw her fork at him “, my two oldest chime in. I furrow my brow at Sophia which seems to please Jeremiah who is shaken that she would use his head for a dart board.
I run to the stove. The eggs are toasty .I’ll just sprinkle cheese on the brown part and fold it over. They’ll think it’s a quesadilla. I pull the muffins out of the oven, and I add grapes to their plate to make up for the artificial blueberries. Little hands fold, heads bow, and a blessing calm things for a moment. Breakfast is served.
I go in search of three dresses, two polos, two shorts, and 4 pairs of shoes since the baby goes barefoot. The oldest three get dressed as I wrestle to button the backs of the youngest two. Jeremiah whacks his older sister with his shorts. “He threw my doll, so I took his power ranger”, my daughter pleads. I rush to get them in the van before anything else happens. On the way out I grab a diaper bag and my Bible.
“I’m sick, I need to throw up”, my daughter says. I pull the van over and have her sit up front holding an empty wipe dispenser. I get back on the road and the boys start to pick at one another. “Keep your hands to yourselves boys!” I holler. Two minutes later, a quick glance in the rear view lets me know I need to pull over and “lovingly” let them know I was serious about behaving.
They trail behind me like tiny gems in a row up the front steps to the church. We are greeted with kind faces and warm welcomes. “Such well-behaved little ones, how do you do it?” I just smile at the kids; they smile back and know what I’m thinking.
As a divorced mom of 5 children, I clean up a lot of accidents. A short time ago, I recommitted my life to Christ. Like a loving mother cleans spilled milk, God came and cleaned up my mistakes. As moms, we can sometimes feel like everyday is a marathon we didn’t sign up for. God wrote the instruction book for our lives. He’ll make something beautiful out of your mess if you let him.
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Laury
Keep it up your writing is good.