Piles and projects…

It's been a bit busy around here. Okay, just this side of chaos is more like it. James left for a business trip twenty four hours after we got back from the conference, and I.was.not.ready. Super unprepared. Four kids + 72 hours + no plan= a grand mess. It was not pretty, I tell ya. Never mind the huge ripping thunderstorms that visited the area and tore most of the play equipment apart and sent it down the backyards of our neighbors five houses away. I feel a bit like I ran a marathon without water and a fresh pair of shoes. We got to the finish line, but just barely. I'm exhausted and a bit shell shocked- I am in awe of the moms and wives who do this on a regular basis. I can't believe my military mom has been doing this for years. I barely survived two days and she's survived more than 12 years (on and off) of separation during deployments. I really do think the secret is having a plan: things to do, people to see, places to go. Maybe things that you haven't done before with the children, or things that you and the kiddos love to do but Dad isn't to keen on, that sort of thing. I'll definitely have that list of ideas for next time. Now that things are starting to resemble normalcy again, I'm trying to get my brain back in order. There are piles and projects everywhere! I owe quite a few emails, a client's project needs to get finished, a contest entry to get ready to mail, a house to clean…the list goes on and on and on. I don't like it when it gets like this. I don't like being busy. I like being productive, and there is definitely a difference between the two. So off I go. I finished the layout right before we left for conference: it's just the journaling from this blog post with the same picture, and some Amy Butler goodies.