So, not sure anyone wants to hear from anyone else on any subject at all at the moment, but hi anyway :).
I’ve said this on our facebook page and I’ll say it here too, if anyone needs/would like prayer for anything at all, we would love to pray for you. When I say we, I mean my husband and myself. Feel free! or a chat!
It feels bizarre here at the moment (Republic of Ireland), I suppose it must do in most places really. I haven’t really been anywhere since Monday (shopping) and that was in Northern Ireland, so apart from some empty shelves it was fairly normal. Chris has been going to work and went to a car parts shop last night for a bulb. Apparently he could go straight in because no one else was there, but there was someone on the door, opening the door for you and I suppose only letting people in one at a time and you had to stand back behind a marker. If it’s necessary, it’s necessary, still bizarre though. I daren’t go shopping with the kids because from what I’ve read on facebook I’ll be shamed and stoned (that’s a little exaggerated, but only a little). I’ll have to go today or tomorrow while Chris is off.
Anyway, these little things are just that, little things, compared to what those who are ill and their families are going through, so I’ll keep praying for them and keeping things in perspective, helping where I can. Also, the repercussions that all this will have on people too, the loss of revenue, being thrown together with people when they’re not used to it, I suppose they’re probably huge too. Praying for protection over those who are vulnerable too.
Thought it’d be funny yesterday to monitor our day (it actually turned out to not be a typical day, it was Friday, I was tired and hadn’t planned properly). So here it is (it’s a bit tongue in cheek):
6:30 alarm for Chris
6:40 alarm for Chris – light on, gets up.
6:45 J – is it morning yet? jumps on our bed (I’m still in it). get up, get up, get up.
7am breakfast
7.40 am – J – ‘can I go outside’ ‘can I go outside’ goes outside to dig holes. Ira starts crying because I won’t let him. I let him.
7:45 Chris goes. I reluctantly get dressed and drag the bins up the drive. Coffee goes cold.
8:45 kids still outside (I daren’t look, they’ve been digging holes), time to wash up, instead I sit on chair, look round and sigh. look around a bit more. Boil kettle, make another coffee. Can hear letterbox, that’s usually littlest. Goes quiet. Feel a little smug because I actually managed to listen to the Lectio app whilst we had breakfast (doesn’t usually happen). Right wash up.
8:53 J appears with a big stick, freaks out when I say, no I’m not going up the field with him, slams door, gets stick stuck in door. Littlest cries, I wait, he stops.
8:55 Right, wash up. Play worship music whilst doing so in attempt to connect with God.
8:58 Littlest crying at door saying ‘cold’, he’s in. Right, wash up.
9:02 J appears again with a stick and muddy wellies ‘What you doing?’, ‘washing up’. ‘Can I do it?’. We’re now having an argument over washing up (he wouldn’t wash up, he would just play with the water, which is fine, but I really need to do this washing up). I get to do it.
9:06 J asking ‘can I draw’, littlest holding on to the back of my leg throughout the washing up process.
9:09 J calling from living room ‘I wrote my name, I wrote my name’. He did! I’m so proud of him.
Littlest is sat in the shoe box tipping it over, then starts dragging the high chair about. Definitely wants attention – I’m meant to be sorting car insurance – will do that later. Worship music still on, not really adding to the ambiance at this time.
09:14 Littlest crying, turns out he’s thirsty. Give him drink. J is drawing. I try to get a coffee I will drink.
09:16 look at weather, not raining today, oh good I can hoover car out (test tomorrow).
09:18 call from living room ‘I’s on the computer’ – that is never good news, he is only 2.
09:19 crying from living room, J had taken the computer off the littlest. I take it further away.
now listening to ‘turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face’ aaaaaah. nice.
09:33 littlest colouring, J doing mazes that I’d printed off. I’m printing, just realised we missed the body coach PE youtube thing at 9. Never mind.
09:55 did littlest nappy (bit late), received prayer request, prayed. Printed out a free pack from something called illustrated ministry to look at, go back in living room, littlest is on settee with scissors…whoops.
10:23 trying to explain word search to J
10:28 move on to something else, drawing the kind of leader God wants. J drew David and Goliath. Littlest playing with magnet toys.
10:35 Light fire. Littlest has a cold, how? we haven’t been anywhere??
10:40 kids not yet dressed, fire lit.
10:50 Fire nearly gone out, sorted out, mayhem in living room. Boys having a mad half hour. Tea??
11:20 fire blasting away, I’ve ignored the mayhem and practiced my flute. Boys decide they need yogurt, I go off to the barn to fill the coal bucket and let dog out. J going on word eggs for an hour. I decide to listen to Lauren Daigle for ten minutes with ear plugs in. Laughing coming from boys, that’s always good.
11:38 dusting upstairs, screaming downstairs briefly. Littlest touched J’s chair.
11:45 putting clothes away whilst they’re occupied.
11:50 Littlest is dressed.
11:55 Tea – didn’t get it last time. Secret bag of crisps in kitchen.
12:05 look at germinating seeds in window. Lovely.
12:08 Fight. Littlest threw himself across the computer.
12:09 Fight over.
12:20 attempt to tell J it’s time to come off computer. HUGE wobbler. AAGH. then dinner (get dressed..) etc.
1:30 pm hoover car and put all the rubbish in the bin. Kids outside with me, playing.
2pm venture into caravan and decide to hoover and clean it. Boys still playing.
2:55 J lets dog out. but 5 minutes later….
3pm littlest decides to come back inside. J soon follows, dog too. Snack.
3:25 decide on film to watch together.
3:30 decide! not bad…
3:50 kids not watching, wrestling on top of me, try to find something else. decide on Garfield film.
4:11 kids now watching, I’m scrolling phone…stop!
4:26 scrolling again.. stop!
4:30 realise it’s cold, go to fetch washing from drier (it’s in the barn and we have to run an electrical extension lead through the kitchen window) and close window.
4:39 realise I’m really tired and lie down on sofa, immediately get climbed on :).
5:06 film finishes, boys dancing round, I’m still lying down. Ah put something else on.
I’m going to leave it there…that is not quite typical, I actually try to spend time with them and play for at least a while and do other stuff like read and get them dressed 😆. Jobs took over a little yesterday, and tiredness. It’s funny monitoring what you do versus what you think you do.
Anyway, God bless you one and all. For the super spiritual amongst you (of whom I am obviously one, am I??), I tend to do my praying when I wake up. Chris would maintain he’s always the first one awake and up (he isn’t). I generally wake up fairly early and pray as I’m laid there, when it’s quiet and lovely.
Bye!
The Shepherds Adventure 