What to do when Poppa's gone....

That is the question...what do we do when Poppa's gone. For many people, husbands go off to work for 8 or more hours a day, so this is nothing new. But, for our family, this is TOTALLY different. You see, JT leads mission trips, so when he's gone, he's gone for a week or more at a time. But, when he's home, he's available to us all day. He works in the office downstairs or outside, but we can call him whenever we need him. We all eat meals together every day and just enjoy being together as a family. We have several friends who are in the same position, and it is truly a blessing from the Lord.

So, when Poppa's away, things are VERY different here. Of course, the older girls would like to sleep late because it's summer. But, apparently the new kiddos from Uganda didn't get that message...especially Zeke. When he wakes up, he is LOUD...ultra LOUD. He doesn't have a volume button yet...we're working on that...every few minutes, believe me. So, he proceeds to wake up everyone in the house by playing...LOUDLY. This doesn't exactly get us all off to a cheery, God-bless-you, all is right with the world kind of day. As a matter of fact, I have 3 grumpy girls and a whiny boy to contend with until at least 9:00.

Whiny-ness breeds more whining....just so you know. So, by 10:00 am I've already administered discipline to almost everyone, and well, each person needs some alone time. Keep in mind that the youngest two don't like alone time, so this is alone with Mommy time. We regroup and start the day again.

It may be just me (and I assume it is) but when JT leaves, every light bulb in the house goes out....or should I say every light bulb that requires changing it with a ladder goes out. Of course, it can't be the ones over the stove or even over the bathroom sink. And, then the pool pump starts making noise or the attic fans...and I'm not exactly handy in this area. That's what JT does....and he does it well. Maybe God is reminding me of how awesome my hubby is in that he takes care of those things on a daily basis....yep, that's it. And the enemy is trying to distract me from spending quality time with my kids discipling them and pouring into their lives. And, for sure the enemy doesn't want me to pray more for our mission team in Guatemala.

So, what do we do? We press on for the prize which has been set before us. Christ's call is greater and His aim is higher. So, we will not dwell in the grumpies or whinyland....we will honor one another for the glory of God. We will press in to His grace and His glory!