Not Listening

Ever had one of those days when EVERYTHING you did (or didn't do), touched or said went horribly wrong?  That was my day yesterday.

The kids were suppose to help me around the house with some chores (plus their everyday chores) AND get along with each other.  Their reward for doing it would be to see CARS 2.  Monday, I told my kids about it but wanted to wait until Nathan was here so he could go with us.  My bunch helped out and were relatively good Monday.

Tuesday was a completely different story.  No one wanted to listen.  The kids wanted to do their own thing and did not get along.  I was constantly having to get onto someone.  Like Monday, they had their everyday chores to complete (get dressed, brush their teeth, make their beds, put up their pajamas, and generally pick up any mess).  They also had to unload the dishwasher, reload the dishwasher, finish folding clothes and putting theirs up, pick up the living room and sweep the kitchen.  It should have taken them two hours max (and that was if they took lots of breaks).

The movie was going to start at 1 p.m.  At 12:30, I still had not gotten a shower (because I was busy being a referee), the dishes still hadn't been done, the clothes needed to be put up and the kids still needed to eat lunch.  I know I should have told them we weren't going but to be honest, I was looking forward to two hours of relative peace and quiet.  So, instead, I ignored God's promptings to stay home. We finally got out the door at 12:50 after I had a quick shower and only one child ate lunch.  The line for tickets was long so by the time we got to the front, the 1 o'clock showing was sold out.  The next showing was at 1:35 but was in 3-D.  The problem with that was I wasn't planning on spending the extra $15 for 3-D glasses.  I know I should have turned around and left and brought them back another day but I was being stubborn.  (The next 2-D showing was at 4 p.m. but we had plans last night.)  Instead of listening to God prompting me again to stay home, I paid the extra and went inside.  Snacks at the concession stand cost almost $29 for four kids combos and a pretzel and Coke for me.  The movie wasn't crowded and we were able to get some great seats towards the front.  The kids did great during the movie, but towards the end, each one had to go to the bathroom (one child had to go three times!).  When the credits started rolling, I wanted to wait around because Pixar usually has something extra at the end.  That's when the complaining started again.  And, wouldn't you know, Pixar didn't have anything extra!!  Bummer!!

We exit the theater and start out towards the van.  Next thing I know, Hannah and Nathan take off in a dead run across the parking lot for the van!  Will and Andrew take off after them before I could stop them.  Once we get home, the fighting starts again.  But this time, I had more than my fill of it and did something really stupid.  Instead of listening to God to separate the kids and put them all in timeout, I started yelling.  I also started arguing with my mom over it.  By the time Mike got home and Mel came to get Nathan, I had reached the knot at the end of my rope and was hanging on for dear life.

All throughout the day, God spoke to me in His still, quiet voice.  Instead of stopping what I was doing and listening to what He had to say, I kept on barreling through my day making an absolute mess of it.  God let me finish doing all the damage I could do, then helped by picking me up and holding me tight.  Listening to God is hard to do but I hope I can become better at it.  My life would be so much more peaceful!!