Twirls 'n Curls

So young... and so clueless! Order. Efficiency. Productivity.  These are words I'd use to describe my life... before kids. Back when I crammed 4 years of college into 3 years, or worked 40 hours a week plus spent 20 hours each weekend helping start a church in Los Angeles. I was stretched. I was exhausted. And I loved it. Just before we had our first child, my husband took a job as the senior pastor of a small, rural church, and I stepped down from my job in a busy office to be home with the baby and help him at the church. I’d read some books on motherhood to prepare myself, but all in all, I wasn’t too worried. I mean, I’d been taking care of executives for quite a few years by that point. Their needs are much more complex than a tiny baby’s.  How hard could this be, really?   As it turned out, much harder than anything I’d ever done.  What I remember the most about those early days was the overwhelming frustration of not being able to get anything ...

People often ask me what it's like raising 4 girls so close in age, especially working full time. I always mention a lot of emotions, a lot of fun memories, and a little bit of crazy. A few months ago, on a particularly hectic Thursday, I decided to chronologize a few of the events, to give you a glimpse into my life:   Wednesday 11:50pm - Finally decide to call it quits on turning 300 chopsticks into wands in time for the Harry Potter-themed dance on Friday at my kids' school. Thursday 6:50am - Hit snooze again on my alarm and realize I have lost any potential morning time sans kids by choosing to decorate said chopsticks until midnight. 6:57 - Roll out of bed to wake up the kids. On the way to their room, note that my oldest, Linsey, is sitting in a yoga pose on the bathroom counter, doing her makeup. 6:58 - Turn on shower to get warm because It. Takes. Forever. 7:01 -  Weigh myself and vow to do better than the takeout I had yesterday. 7:02 - Check on kids...