A Summer Day in the Life

A Day in the Life of Yours Truly


I thought a few of you may appreciate what a typical summer day for me looks like these days. Although many days are not this dramatic, most of them are!! I think I will go hour by hour to give you a little glimpse into my life.

6:30 am – What is that noise? Oh no. It’s the baby. I really should put up the block-out shades in his room! A bottle for him in bed buys me a few minutes to read my daily reading from my One Year Bible. Of course I am wishing I was already on my second cup of coffee with hours of prayer behind me. Oh well. Time to get this day started.

7:00 am – Breakfast for all my precious boys, and finally a cup of coffee and bowl of cereal for me!

7:30 am – Doorbell. A little boy is here hoping that coach won’t forget to pick him up for their day-camp today. Don’t worry, they don’t leave until about 10:30. Ok. He’ll be back!

8:00 am – you all know the drill… have kids make beds, clean kitchen, spank a child for fighting, laundry, get baby out of the light socket, get everyone dressed, spank a child for not obeying the first time, wipe down the bathrooms, put child in time out for anger…

9:00 am – I am already exhausted. Time for Levi’s nap, thank goodness!

10:00 am - The doorbell has been ringing consistently now through out the morning. All 30 of the boys who participate in the day-camp will gather at my home until all have been picked up. They love the computer and playroom. I see some of them eating a bag of chips or a handful of “chewies” (candy) and I wonder if that is their breakfast.

11:00 am – By this time Bryan and Kevin have taken everyone in the ministry van and my or Nicole’s minivan for a day of fun, food and bible study. They have been swimming, golfing, skating, bowling and so much more!! What a wonderful experience for these kids.

11:30 am – Baby Levi is ready for lunch and so am I! On an ideal day, Nicole and Kaiya have made their way down here to “chill at the crib” with me and my boys. Oh how I love those days! My doorbell may also ring because one of the little girls in the neighborhood is bored. I can’t wait until we start our own little 2 day/week camp for these precious girls. It is so sweet to see Kaiya befriend these girls and to watch them begin to learn from Nicole what it means to be obedient and respectful and not manipulate to get what they want. Absolutely precious.

1:00 pm – After spending the last couple of hours being housekeeper, disciplinarian, judge, and secretary it is finally time for rest time!!!

1:15 pm – all kids are finally down and Nicole and I are able to start talking through the bible study we are starting next week for the teenage girls we have built relationships with.

1:20 pm – Doorbell. The man down the street wants to know if he can fill up his water bottle since he doesn’t have utilities. Of course. No question. It is a direct command from Jesus. Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to live here. The lessons I am learning are so simple and yet so deep.

2:00 pm – Finally a time to read, and perhaps to shower!

3:00 pm – Everyone up from naps!! The Party Starts once again!!! See the entry from 8 am for details.

4:00 pm – Kevin and Bryan have dropped everyone off at their houses, but within 30 minutes a handful will have walked all the way back over to play basketball outside or hang out in our cool home. The teenagers are all home from Job Corp and have decided they need to check their MySpace account – guess where?? Nicole and I put a big pot of gumbo on the stove because Kevin and Bryan are supposed to have bible study with the teenage guys tonight.

4:30 pm – A HUGE thunderstorm hits. It is hailing and so a group of about 4 more kids run in the house because they had gotten caught in the storm. (So much for my swept floor –ha ha!!)

4:45 pm – Power goes out! Guess we won’t be having Gumbo.

5:00 pm – Conversation with the teenagers about why it’s wrong to call the power company and tell them Levi is on a breathing machine and needs his oxygen just to make them come faster to fix our power lines. That would be a lie. No, really, please don’t call them!

6-8 pm – Bryan and Kevin are outside after the storm surveying the damage and enjoying the hangout time since no one has power. Everyone is outside and the air is relatively cool. Ethan is dressed in his Power Ranger suit and having the time of his life in the muddy yard with Kaiya and many other kids. Bryce is playing basketball with the older kids. Levi is being held by the grandmother across the street who simply adores him.

Nicole and I just take it all in and can’t believe we have the privilege of living here.

I guess we’ll be ordering Pizza. Then going to pick it up - since they won't deliver to my neighborhood after 5. :)