outta the funk... sorta

Last week was a little brutal for me. Nothing major. I just realized how horrible I am at single-parenting. Jimmy was gone from Monday-Thursday for his annual work trip (I'm soooo thankful he only has to travel once a year!). The kids and I missed him like crazy.

The stress was evident in the children's behavior and in my lack of patience. No bueno. I'm afraid I survived, but didn't endure well.  I just can hardly believe how constant everything is with kids.  I'm just starting to get my wits about me - finally.

Observations from last week:

- Do not leave cowboy boots in the dining room... Max just might pick them up, swing them around, and knock Truman hard in the eyebrow.

- Max really likes soup.  He was making such 'Yummy' sounds as he ate big bites one night.

- Do not leave Abe and Max in the same room alone unless they are both asleep. No really!... don't do it.

- Hannah - if she doesn't know what to do to make things better, she'll draw you a card. I got 3 or 4 cards and drawings from her last week. She told me what an 'osom' (awesome) mom I was. She was trying to help me feel better since she could tell from all my rantings that I was having a difficult time.

- At the end of the week after a pleasant family moment (rare for that week - for sure!), Abe said so sincerely, "We are a good family, aren't we."  He hopefully reconizes that we are trying and working hard to be like Jesus.

Something I read last week reminded me the importance of striving for patience.  It was from a talk by President Uchtdorf from April 2010 Gen Conf.  My favorite quotes:

Patience is a purifying process that refines understanding, deepens happiness, focuses action, and offers hope for peace.

Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can—working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!

“No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned.”

As the Lord is patient with us, let us be patient with those we serve. Understand that they, like us, are imperfect. They, like us, make mistakes. They, like us, want others to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Never give up on anyone. And that includes not giving up on yourself.

I believe that every one of us, at one time or another, can identify with the servant in Christ’s parable who owed money to the king and who pled with the king, saying, “Lord, have patience with me.”

Patience means staying with something until the end. It means delaying immediate gratification for future blessings. It means reining in anger and holding back the unkind word.

The lessons we learn from patience will cultivate our character, lift our lives, and heighten our happiness. President Uchtdorf, April 2010 Priesthood Session

It reminded me that kids are kids... they are not little adults... they are kids. And I need to remember to let them be little... learn things (sometimes the hard way). The Lord is so patient with me with all my weaknesses and I can do better to love, forgive, and be patient with my tots.

Another thing that strengthened me was listening to the Gen. Conf Highlights video as I fell asleep when Jimmy was gone. I have the hardest time sleeping when he is not in the house, and it was comforting to hear gospel truths from our church leaders and I drifted off to sleep.