Richter Scale

The only way I can think to describe my life right now is chaos.
There is always something that I need to be doing and something that I should be doing but I am not.
Isaac is my third child and although he has been a good, good, baby, (for the most part) it has made my life crazy busy.
The best way I can describe what I'm feeling, is to take a look at how a Richter scale measures earthquakes. The Richter scale assigns a single number to quantify the amount of seismic energy released by an earthquake. It is a Base-10 Logarithmic scale. So for example, an earthquake that measures 5.0 on the Richter scale has a shaking amplitude 10 times larger than one that measures 4.0.
Having a third kid hasn't been just a little harder for me, but ten times harder.
I don't say this to complain, because I wouldn't have my life any other way, It's just amazing how much I don't get done, how many things are neglected, and how quickly each day comes and goes and I have nothing to show for it.
A typical day for me starts out with getting three kids bundled up and out the door before 7:50 am so we can walk Dylan to school. Once we get home from walking to the school, I un-bundle the other two and feed them both breakfast.
Then there is the house to contend with. Dirty laundry, stinky garbages, toys, dirty floors, dirty dishes, papers everywhere, books, blankets, coats, this list could go on forever I might add.
There is a 3 year old that needs entertaining and a baby that still nurses like he's a newborn.
There are meals to be made.
Then I find myself bundling us all back up again and walking back to the school to get Dylan.
We all get back home and the real fun begins.
Dylan is pulling out school work and leaving it everywhere.
Alivia starts tormenting the heck out of Dylan until they are both screaming at each other, at the top of their lungs.
Dinner needs to be prepared.
At least once a day, per child, there is a destructive temper tantrum to be had and an ugly mess or ugly feelings to be cleaned up or made better.
Dylan's homework sucks up an hour or more of our lives every day and it usually involves a lot of drama and crying. All the while I'm trying to keep Alivia away and a baby happy.
There's homemade baby food to be made.
And did I mention dishes and more dishes to be hand washed, hand dried, and put away.
There are dirty butts to be wiped.
All while I try to squeeze in some time to crochet or do things that keep me from going insane.
Someone is always crying/screaming. ALWAYS.
Then there are the days where grocery shopping and Physical Therapy add to my already jammed packed work load.
None of these lists includes the things I need to be doing for my spiritual well being, like reading my scriptures, doing my visiting teaching, holding FHE, fulfilling my calling and going to the temple. They also don't mention the things I should be doing to keep myself healthy like exercising and eating good sensible meals.

Long story short (or shorter). Things in my life get neglected.
My blogs (aka journals) don't get written. The laundry piles up. Dishes multiply like rats, and cold cereal is becoming a dinner replacement. Exercise in any form has gone out the window, my husband gets "ornery wife" most evenings and the kids get a mother with a really really short fuse.
I cannot remember what it's like to get a bath two days in a row and I think I've only put makeup on twice since I've had Isaac.

I know that this too shall pass. I know it will! I also know that I'll be dealt different problems, where I'll feel just as overwhelmed, clueless and inadequate.
With all that being said, I couldn't not recognize all the wonderful things in which I have to be grateful for as well.
Although I have a messy house, I'm grateful for shelter.
Although being a mother feels like it's going to kill me most days, I'm glad I get to be one!
Although my children sometimes break my heart and make me crazy, the also bring me my greatest joy.
Although I have all sorts of expectations that I don't live up to, I get to live and breath and experience life and I'm so grateful for that.
Although I botch up just about everything I do, I have the Gospel in my life to help me realign myself for the better. I have a Heavenly Father who loves me and I don't say that to excuse my behavior or my mistakes, but I know that He is there to help me better myself, and that He gave His Son as a sacrifice so I could stumble and fall and learn and grow and find my own way.
I have a husband who works hard to support our family. I have a husband who is faithful to me and his beliefs. I have a husband who loves God.
For now we have employment and all the blessing that flow when there is money and insurance and a sense of security coming in each day.
My little family has good health and our burdens are really quite light in the spectrum of life's challenges.