Chaos.

When trying lately to describe the state of my life...this is the first word that comes to mind. Chaos. Utter and absoloute Chaos. I wonder when it all happened. Where did it all come from? Did my life suddenly become the big Chaos target? But then I stop and think, it's not a bad Chaos. It is just the kind that keeps you busy. It is not even REALLY chaos...it is what a normal Mom lives through each and every day. Yet, somehow...watching my Mom pull her hair out over it, wasn't the same as experiencing it myself. What might you be talking about you ask? Its simple...

It is the kind of Chaos that greets you as you walk in the door each morning, roughly around seven o'clock, when you get home from EARLY mornig prayer.

"Allana!!!" Lydia(3) screams while hugging my legs, "Can you get me some juice?" *I knew she wasn't THAT excited about me being home*
"What's for breakfast?" This comes from Josiah (6), and of course is said before you even make it in the door.

"Probably eggs and bacon" I say. The pout on his face tells me he is not happy about this, so I try something else. "You can always have cereal (which consists of the whole wheat 'healthy' kind)" Now, of course, he is looking way more "excited" but at least the eggs start to sound a little better.

I decided that since nobody besides Josiah has asked for breakfast yet that I would run and clean up my room real quick. As I am cleaning up, someody calls my name, and upon entering the kitchen I find out that it is actually my Dad who is wondering where his breakfast is. I begin to run around trying to throw something edible together, while Dad begins to list a LOOOOONG list of errand he has to run today. Now I am really freaking out and trying to figure out WHAT I am going to do, when I hear a big "whap, whap...OW!!!!" coming from the boys room. While hoping that the eggs don't burn...I run to see what in the world is going on.  I get to the room and Nathaniel (13) is bent over about to start crying while Mr. Adopted Boy (20) is lookig at the rag he holds in his hands as if it is a alien. Right when I come into the room...before he really sees me he says, "Did that REALLY hurt?".

Now I want to start laughing so bad, I pull a straight face and try to get on to Mr. A-B and tell him to 'stop or I will make him sit on his bed'. To this he smartly responds...well I ain't going to tell you what he said...but what can I do to a 20 yrs old boy.

This has all happened during a short period of time...and it is ONLY 10:30...which reminds me that the eggs are probably burning and Dad really needs to get on the road. So I run back into the kitchen and JUST ABOUT have a cow because the eggs really are burning and it's actually 10:45.

After that, things continue in the same Chaos throughout the day. But it seems to fall into a routine. Chaos in a routine???? I know...but it seems to be that way. Oh, of course there are still moments when I want to explode, sit down and cry, or grab some kid and twist his neck off. And then, of course, there are times, like when you take your Mom her food, and she tells you that she only wants half a sandwich. So you take it back to the kitchen cut it in half, place the fork on the plate for the potatoe salad. Then about 30 mins later Dad comes into the living room after you have just got done making your food to tell you that you never took Mom her food and she is shaking in there...has been for the last hour and...but the rest you don't even hear. You are running to your Mom's room...get half way there, and realize that you forgot her plate...again!! So she finally get her food, while you are apologizing profusely, and she is tellin you it is ok...when you know its really not. But those moments make you think, I really can't do this.

In closing I think that each and one of you should go give your Mom a BIG hug and just say, "THANK YOU MOM FOR ALL YOU DO". She may think you are completely wierd. OR you might be a live-at-home-mom that now thinks I am completely crazy. But understand that I have a new appreciation for you and for my Mom.


THANKS MOM!!!!

~Allana