It Takes a Village, But Mostly Just a Team

Oh I can't wait for campaigning and voting to be over.  This whole election has been a freak show made-for-tv situation, and I can't believe this is the future of our country.  But as the VeggieTales sing, "God is bigger than the boogeyman" (or WOman).

As I'm typing this I just ate some of Declan's leftover popcorn.  Declan had a fever yesterday.  Am I going to make it?  Better stock up on my precious probiotics.  By the way, I had the epiphany, nay the EPIPHANY, that popping corn would make for a great snack to send in the kid's "lunches".  It's super cheap, looks like a lot of food (Maggie can finally realize her dreams of having a full-to-the-brim ziplock bag of snack food!) and not unhealthy.  I'm actually going to pop (haha, pop) on over to amazon to see if they have any cheesy popcorn flavoring I can sprinkle on top.  They do!!

Let's try this again,  I have no idea what I'm about to write anyway.  Sometimes I have grand ideas for writing topics, but they always occur when I'm not near a computer...like exercising...falling asleep...nursing the babe...pretending to listen to people talk...you get it.  But most of the time I just sit down and type-vomit some words on digital paper because if I think too much, I wouldn't write anything at all.

Wait, I do have a thought!!

I was thinking about how great it is that when our kids sit down to dinner, they don't even know which one of us to thank for the meal.  They usually start by thanking me, but then I have to stop them to say that it was mostly Dad's cooking, and then he says that I did the majority of it, and we really can't even remember who cooked what because we just did it all together.  One stirring while the other peeled, one changing a diaper while the other chopped the veggies, one yelling at someone to stop hitting someone else while the other cleaned the dishes.  Somehow it all gets done, bellies are fed, and we're both to thank for it.  The best part is, when we're just moving around the kitchen taking care of business, it doesn't even feel like work.  It's actually a little fun!

I know I'm so lucky to have Phil home with me in the evenings, a lot of moms don't have that and I do not take it for granted.  Either one of us can get home and whip up a meal (even if it is just chicken nuggets and french fries and carrot sticks) or take care of the baby's needs, or check the google calendar and do sports drop offs/pick ups as needed.  If I had to do all of that myself, well I probably wouldn't have seven kids!  People say it takes a village, and it's so true, but it's nice to know that our parenting team can do most of it alone.  Our busy schedules can be exhausting, but we're in this thing together and there is great comfort in that.  He's my teammate, my number one draft pick for always and forever.  Besides, at the end of the day we can check off a whole litany of merciful works - just by serving our own family.  Now only if I could do it joyfully and without complaint, I could be a saint :)

The Works of Mercy, by the Master of Alkmaar made for the Church of Saint Lawrence in Alkmaar, Netherlands. The wooden panels show the works of mercy in this order: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, bury the dead, shelter the traveler, comfort the sick, and free the imprisoned. Circa 1504.