glory for the house

I'm here taking a much needed deep breath.

We are having company for cake and ice cream tonight, for a belated birthday celebration for Timothy.  We were sick around his birthday, so I had to keep calling my aunt to postpone.  Her husband is one who will back away from you if you even mention that someone is ill, or has been ill.  Two kids are still snotting, but oh well.  I tried.  Life must go on.

As well, my husband's aunt and uncle are coming for an overnight visit this weekend.  They've never visited before, and they've never seen our girls.

You know how it goes when you've got to prepare the house for overnight guests.  A . huge. exhausting. undertaking.  I always run around breathless, cleaning everything in sight, running on empty, as there's no time to eat or drink before the arrival deadline.

Each time I prepare for guests, I beat myself up, wondering what's wrong with me that my house gets this bad, and requires this much turmoil to set right.  Don took the older three to the park today, so I could rush around as much as possible, uninterrupted.  Of course, my Anna took a short nap.  Sigh.

Today it dawned on me that this mess is just my season of life for now.  Diapers, meals, snacks, messes, laundry, and schooling, keep me running all day long, every day.  There isn't some formula I'm failing to see, or failing to implement.  If this were a business we were running, we'd be advised, "Hire some help!"  But there is no help coming.  Chaos reigns when your kids come close together, and they're all still little.  Period.  End of story.  Especially if there's no close family around (my dad moved back to Vegas in October).  My aunts have their own families to worry about.

I have to stop berating myself, and just accept.  If it weren't for guests coming periodically, the house would probably look worse.  So I need to thank God for these times of turmoil and tension, whilst the house gets back some of its glory.  It's glory that only lasts for about five waking hours, but at least during that time, I can walk around and say, "Hey, what a nice house this is!"