Just Keep Swimming.....

It has been absolute madness for us lately.  I don't say that lightly.

I know that part and parcel of having a large family means being a little bit busier, having a little more chaos in your life, a little more noise.... you get the picture.  And yet, so far September 2013 has proven to be absolute insanity for our brood.

Work has been INSANE for Chris.  Now you have to understand something about Chris, he hates working late.  Not because it's 'working late' (if he could, he'd work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week just to make sure everything gets done), but because it means missing out on family time.  Missing time with the kids.  He always makes extraordinary efforts to get as much done in a regular work day as he can so he can be home at a reasonable hour.

Well, this went to hell in an handbasket when stuff happened around here (not going to go into details).  That meant that work got inordinately busy, and that he was working 20 hour days.  The kids barely saw him, and there doesn't appear to be an end in sight.

As an aside, he came home one Saturday around 7:30 - after going to the office at 6:00 a.m.- and walked into the bedroom where the kids were watching a show.  Aidan (who was lying on the bed) saw him, and literally sprang out of the bed to jump on Chris and give him an enormous hug. Remember, this is the 10 1/2 year old, who is slowly growing out of the 'hugs and cuddles' phase of life.

So work's been crazy, and while Chris is working, I've been doing my best to hold down the fort at home.  I figure I can't really help Chris at work, so my job is guard the home front and make sure everything gets done.  Which is fine, except when you have two boys who play travel hockey and soccer, girls who are in activities, meals to be made, houses to be kept (somewhat) clean......breathe.

I have been relying on friends... a LOT.  The poor kids often don't know who's going where or who's picking up whom, but thankfully they've been rolling with it.

Then Quinn broke his glasses - which means an extra trip to the optician, more money spent....

And today the van got hit in the parking lot while I was dropping the kids off at school. (everyone is fine, but the front passenger door is not).  So now we need to get that fixed, which means we don't have the van for a week.

Seriously?

I just keep repeating a line from Finding Nemo:  "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming"