Not Quite As Planned

If you look closely at his chin, you'll see a scab where he bit clean through his bottom lip this week in a tumble off the chair.


Peek in my bedroom and laundry room and you'll see the loads of laundry that have been neglected all week as I took time out to start potty-training my son. (said training has actually added to the laundry mound . . .)


Sniff around his bedroom and you'll smell residual odor from, erm, failed potty-training attempts this week.

Glance at my To-Do list and you'll see I owe about five emails to various people, which I'd planned to write this week with all the mountains of spare time I thought I'd have. Ha.


This hasn't been an easy week to be Mommy. Caleb was on spring break from pre-school, and we had (I thought) a wonderful week ahead of us with planned outings, time with friends, new playdough and bubbles to keep us occupied. I prayed for a sun-shiney week so we could go hiking, too.

But the weather didn't cooperate. Neither did Caleb. Stormy weather rolled in Monday, along with gale-force winds and sheets of rain. And Caleb decided he's done with diapers.

In theory, that sounds good. Right? Caleb realizing wet, dirty diapers aren't so cool anymore? But in practice, when I was on my hands and knees scraping poop off walls, windows, floors, and toys not once but TWICE this week, the theory didn't sound so great. In fact, diapers look pretty good right now.


Please oh please oh please just wear the diaper, Caleb! Mommy doesn't want to smell like poo anymore.


But Caleb's ready. Therefore I must be, too.

We've had a rough week. Most of my plans changed, then changed again; I felt more than once like I was just holding on for dear life. But the week wasn't a total downer.

Potty-training isn't easy, but Caleb is doing well. I'm very proud of him (and excited at the prospect of a NO DIAPER household ;)

We went off-island on Friday to spend the morning at a humongous Jungle Playland. Caleb played for two straight hours and I got to visit with mommy friends from church.

We had an afternoon of sunshine on Wednesday and Caleb helped me trim branches off the maple tree in our front yard. Then we blew bubbles and I watched him chase them, yelling "Eat! Eat!"

Jason and Michael watched Caleb for me Saturday night so I could bake snickerdoodles and amish friendship bread. Then I finished reading my Jane Austen-esque book "Julia and the Master of Morancourt."

So yeah. Not the week I'd planned, not the week I wanted, but looking back, it wasn't all darkness and rain clouds. ;) There were bits of sunshine, too.

(and tomorrow, my brother-in-law is watching Caleb so Jason and I can go out to lunch and then a movie . . . *does happy dance*)

How was your week? Was it what you planned? Or did God have other things in mind for you?