"It's Not About Me...It's Not About Me..."

I just have to keep telling myself that. I've been telling myself that, but sometimes it's so easy to forget.

Life is so crazy-busy right now. We get up in the morning, take Brian to Beaverton so he can get a ride into Portland, come home, have breakfast...I get Marcus down for his nap, take a shower, get the kids lunch...then we take Alyssa to school, get Marcus down for his afternoon nap, clean a bit while keeping Ethan entertained, pick Alyssa up from school, have Alyssa do her homework, start dinner, pick up Brian in Beaverton, come home and have dinner, get the kids ready for bed, have scripture study, put the kids to bed...put the kids to bed again...and sometimes a third and fourth time, then I go to bed myself. Seriously, it's been so crazy that I missed Marcus's doctors appointment. Then I called to reschedule it, and missed that one, too. It's that bad.

I really don't mind all the rushing around, because like I keep telling myself, it's not about me right now. Right now, getting Brian to clinic and Alyssa to school and keeping Ethan from destroying the Claypool's house are the important things. It's just that sometimes I get a couple moments of rest where I think, "What about me?!?" And then I have to say it, again, "It's not about me right now."

See? I'm even typing it over and over again. I'm trying to drill it into my brain.

I've been trying to go running in the mornings with Jenny, but we both have kids and it usually turns out that the mornings that she makes it, I have a rough night and sleep in, and vice-versa. It's so fun when we both make it, though. And the mornings that I get to do that, I've had my "me" time, and I'm good for the rest of the day. I've discovered that it doesn't matter how early the kids get up in the morning - as long as I have a few minutes to myself before they get up, I'm good. I've got to be Carrie for a few minutes every day before I have to be Mom.

In a couple weeks Alyssa will be out of school, so we won't have to drive to Joseph Gale twice a day. And Brian just worked everything out with getting a second car, so as soon as we buy that, he can take himself to clinic every day. So hopefully things will slow down soon.