"Normal" Day

Okay, so life here is fun.  Crazy...fun.  At the beginning I kept thinking, okay once we just get into a rhythm and have a "normal" day then I'll feel like I have this under control.  It didn't take long to realize that there is a new standard for "normal."  Normal day here = crazy all the time.

This week we have our house of 7 boys aged 3-18.  Let me just tell you, the personalities in this house are very very different.  Here is a run down of the "day in the life" of a houseparent.  It starts at 6:00 waking up boys that have to be at school at 6:30 for before school tutoring.  That means Greg gets up those that have to go, and then I get up to hang out while he runs them up to school.

When he gets home he gets the coffee going and gets the rest of the school aged boys up.  If the 3 year old is up, I get up too, if not I go back to bed for a little bit. :-)  Greg pulls them out of bed...some are better than others about getting up.  For the record, the boys have already been threatened that if they miss the bus and Greg has to drive them, they have to pay for the gas money!

Once the big ones are off to school we have devo with the rest of the staff in the library.  Then, Greg heads to work, usually weed eating and stuff for the morning.  While he's gone I usually walk the little ones around, sometimes to the park or other times to the "pantry" to get supplies for the day.  Note: The pantry is our food storage building where I go get our groceries from.

When we get back Bethany goes down for a nap, the boys that are here find something to do...play, draw, etc.  I try and get something going for supper and we hang out until Greg gets home at lunch.  We do lunch, tidy, and send the littles off for an afternoon nap/quiet time.  Things start getting really crazy around 3:00 as people start trickling home.  Then it seems like everyone has something they have to do.  Homework, sports practice, projects, studying, chores, therapy, dr appts, banquets, etc.  It's a matter shuttling everyone where they need to be and helping people who need help all the while trying to keep the house in order and get supper on the table.

After supper, the boys finish chores, play in the backyard, finish homework, etc.  The littles go to bed around 8:00 and the big ones stay up until around 10:00.  Finally at 10:00 boys have to be in their rooms, doors closed.  Greg and I head to our room and get ready to start the whole thing over again the next day!

Like I said...fun...crazy fun!